


Let Me In

by Dreyden



Category: Victorious
Genre: F/F, F/M, Jori (Victorious), cabbie - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-10
Updated: 2016-02-10
Packaged: 2018-05-19 12:32:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 62,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5967522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreyden/pseuds/Dreyden
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Relationships change. Enemies become friends, friends become more, people drift away, and people bond unexpectedly. The future is never certain, and - for Jade West and Tori Vega - the challenges of life might make them realize they may have a kindred spirit closer than they ever imagined. Jade/Tori. Runner up for Best Jori in the August 2013 Topaz Awards!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A "Friend" in Need

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on FFN. Crossposted to AO3 2/10/2016.

Tori groaned as she sank into the familiar seat at the front of Sikowitz’s class. She leaned forward, resting her head in hands and rubbed her eyes in a desperate attempt to fight away her exhaustion. She was less than successful.

“Hey girl, what’s got you out if it this morning?” The cheerfulness in Andre’s voice made her want to glare at him for a moment. Didn’t he see she was having a moment? She pushed the thought away with a whispered sigh and spared her best friend a small smile she knew did not reach her eyes.

“I’m fine,” she told him. He raised a skeptical brow. “Trina kept me up half the night with her singing.” The excuse rolled off her tongue with disturbing ease, but she only had a fleeting moment of guilt. Andre winced in sympathy.

“That girl’s voice is torture,” he said with a shake of his head. He reached over and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze with an infectious grin spreading on his face. Tori smiled, a real one this time, and sat up straighter. Andre was really too nice for his own good. “Does she have an audition or something?”

“No idea.” Just then, as the familiar triple chime signaled the start of class, the door slammed open, startling her and everyone else in the room. Sikowitz strode in stiff, deliberate movements. His eyes were clouded over, his nose flared, and his jaw was clenched so tight that Tori was sure she could hear his teeth grinding. Her heart dropped with a touch of fear over what could make their lackadaisical teacher so upset. She wanted to look around to see if anyone had a clue what was going on, but her eyes were glued to her teacher - pacing back and forth on the classroom stage with his hands held taught behind his back.

“What are you--” Jade’s voice broke the tense silence, but Sikowitz stopped dead in his tracks and sent a chilling glare her way. Tori risked a quick glance back and found a sight she had never seen before. Jade sat with her mouth hanging open, words caught in her throat, and her eyes widened comically. Tori’s eyebrows skimmed her hairline in surprise. Was Jade West actually scared silent by just a _look_? After a moment she snapped her mouth shut and regained a neutral expression, but Tori could see the girl gripping her coffee hard enough to turn her knuckles white.

Tori could not help the tiny smirked that formed at seeing the girl rattled by something that was not Beck. Of course, her face fell and ice tore through her veins when she turned around to find Sikowitz and his glare just inches from her face. She let out a startled squeak and pushed her chair backwards too hard and went sprawling to the floor. A smattering of laughter filled the room, and Tori felt a blush rise through her neck and to her cheeks as she scrambled back into her seat. One look from Sikowitz, though, and the class fell silent once again.

Her teacher spent time looking from student to student, holding their gaze for at least a half a minute apiece. If not for the anxious anticipation, Tori would have enjoyed seeing her classmate’s reactions to Sikowitz’s stare – from Andre shrinking back into his seat to Robbie squeaking louder than she had – but instead she found it was getting harder to breathe as they all waited for Sikowitz to explode.

After an eternity, Sikowitz strode back up onto the stage and spun on his heel with a flourish, his scarf and oversized shirt swirling around him. He took a deep breath, and Tori tensed for the inevitable shout…

“Expectation!” Tori blinked in confusion. Sikowitz had not sounded angry. In fact, he was talking in his normal, cheery voice. The old teacher was grinning from ear to ear, and Tori’s jaw hung low for half a second before she snapped it shut. It was just another of Sikowitz’s strange lessons. “You all expected me to be utterly wazzed off there,” he said with a laugh and a clap. “But, in reality, I’m quite cheerful!” He spread his arms wide, a grin gleaming in the classroom’s light. Tori hung her head, a sigh of relief escaping from her lips. The last thing she needed was for Sikowitz of all people to be in a mood that day.

“One of the major components of acting,” her teacher continued. “Is the ability to portray emotions that you do _not_ actually feel. Now,” he produced a coconut from beneath his jacket and took a sip from the straw sticking out from its side. “Drive by acting exercise! Tori! Robbie! Beck! Jade!” The four of them sprang to their feet, always willing to help the eccentric teacher, and doubly glad that he was back to normal. “Up on stage with you lot. I have a _special_ scene in mind for you!” They all scrambled up to the stage.

“Okay, so,” Sikowitz began once they were all on the stage. “Tori, Beck, you two are a married couple on the verge of divorce, and Robbie and Jade are your children stuck in the middle of your latest argument.” The four of them glanced at each other, and Tori felt her heart quicken in irrational panic, but Sikowitz continued before she could process it. “Just follow your instincts and,” he shuffled his feet along the floor, causing the rest of the class to join him in an impromptu drum roll. “Begin!”

“I can’t believe you!” Beck started the interaction in an aggressive style that was unusual from him, his eyes alight with anger. Tori took half a second to be surprised before she lost herself in the exercise.

“You can’t believe _me_? You’re the one who’s thrown this relationship to the dogs!” She accused, poking Beck in the chest for emphasis.

“That’s rich!” Beck scoffed, turning on the balls of his feet and staring towards the window. “You’re the one who’s been sleeping with my partner!” Tori hesitated before replying, _knowing_ she must have misheard her friend.

“Wh-what?” She stumbled backwards, out of character. Improvisation had never been her strong suit, but luckily Beck caught her hesitation and pushed onwards.

“You heard me!” He snarled. “You’ve been seeing my director on the side!” Tori took a moment to process his words before forcing herself back into character.

“I did what I needed to do for this family!” She shouted at him, sensing Jade and Robbie taking up positions behind her. “You were content with just being Jacob’s lackey, but I made sure you were so much more than that!” Beck let out a hollow laugh.

“All I ever wanted was to make you happy!” He strode forward and grasped Tori’s hands into his own. “Wasn’t that enough?”

Tori yanked her hand from his. “No!” She shouted in his face, embarrassed to note that spittle covered his features. She would apologize to him later. “This family needs to be more than average, Becky Boy, and you know it! Jade has a real talent for the stage, and Robbie is a fantastic ventriloquist!” Taking her friends’ actual skills made the scene play out easier in Tori’s mind.

“You _know_ how hard it is to make in this world, Tori,” Beck accused. Tori flipped her hair over her shoulder and took another step forward, challenging him. “I know our kids are talented, but I think we should consider the real world implications.”

Tori let out the loudest snort she could while remaining ladylike in her own mind. “You only want kids who will add to your own success, not those who will be successful on their own!” Tori accused with an appropriate slap to Beck’s flawless cheek. The older boy recoiled from the contact, looked between Tori, Jade, and Robbie, and bowed his head.

“I know you three are so much better off than me, but is it so wrong for a man to be jealous of his children’s accomplishments?”

“Yes,” Jade snarled, her voice breaking into the fray for the first time. “If you ever cared for us, you would have been a bigger part of our lives much sooner.” Beck winced, feigning pain by clutching his chest and backing up a few paces. Robbie stepped forward, capitalizing on the situation.

“And so what if I like Cat!” He shouted at Beck. Tori shared a confused look with Jade, but the other girl only shrugged with a quick roll of her eyes. “We don’t need your permission to be together, we’re in love!” Robbie jumped off the stage and tugged the redhead right onto stage with a victorious aura about him. Sikowitz and the rest of the class let out a series of gasps at the sudden “twist,” while Cat just grinned at being included.

“Yay, I’m part of the scene now!” Cat giggled and leaned into Robbie’s embrace. Tori knew that the grin and blush on Robbie’s face was not part of the act.

“We’ve been over this Rob,” Beck’s jaw was taught as he looked between Robbie and Cat with believable disgust. “She’s only ever going to drag you down. She’s not good enough for you.” For her part, Cat looked insulted while Robbie bowed his head, all previous bluster gone from his features.

“Just because you didn’t marry for love doesn’t mean you get to take it out on everybody!” Jade’s voice hit Beck like a physical blow, and the boy recoiled. Tori decided to change up the scene and rounded on Jade.

“Jade!” She did her best to sound scandalized. “Even though things between your father and I aren’t working out for the best right now doesn’t mean we never loved each other!” To emphasize, Tori reached out a hand for Beck, who took it with hesitation. Jade’s left eye twitched, but she kept rolling with the scene.

“Like I believe that!” She strode forward and slapped their intertwined hands. Tori was almost impressed with the other girl’s restraint. “He’s been screwing around on you for years.” Tori let out her most believable gasp and backpedalled from Beck, a look of horror growing on her features.

“Is it true?” She tried to make her voice sound broken, and Beck bowed his head.

“You were always so… demanding.” Beck said after a long moment of tense silence. “Do you know how much money it is to send two kids to their school? I had to work so much, so often, and you only ever—“ He cut himself off and ran a hand through his long locks while turning to face the back wall. “Other women made it…easier.” Tori could feel the sadness, regret, and determination in Beck’s voice, as always impressed by her friend’s acting skills.

“You… _bastard_! After everything…” She trailed off, burying her head in her hands and forcing herself to breath heavier. After a long moment of silence, and she was glad that none of her friends tried to fill it, she raised her head with her jaw set in a defiant grimace. “Jade, Robbie, Cat,” she said, turning to the three teenagers. “We’re leaving.” She stepped forward, taking Jade and Robbie’s hands into her own and led them off the stage. She heard Beck thump to the ground behind her, but did not look back. They were at the door when Sikowitz signaled the end of the scene with a round of enthusiastic applause.

“Excellent, excellent!” Their teacher praised as he bounded up onto the stage. “You all had me believing every last detail! Tori, Beck, you two were fantastic in selling your regret, determination, and sadness.” Tori shared a grin with Beck at the compliment. “Jade, you were wonderful at playing to the scene and leading it forward.” The dark haired girl crossed her arms with a small smirk. “And Robbie…” The boy stepped forward, as always eager to hear anything positive. “You certainly brought in the unexpected!” Robbie beamed at the comment, but Tori had to force back a snicker while Jade did not bother to hide her snort of amusement.

“Next group! Erik, Eli, Rebecca, and Andre…” The five of them shuffled off the stage and back to their seats. The rest of the class went by as group by group catered to Sikowitz’s different scenarios. Tori let herself get lost in her classmate’s performances, and put all of her worries on the back burner. By the time class was nearing its end, all of her earlier exhaustion and stormy mood were echoes at the edge of her mind.

“Well done everyone, well done!” Sikowitz proclaimed minutes before the bell would sound. “This is exactly what we’ll be doing for the next month before summer break, when you’ll all be on vacation in tropical places.” He clapped his hands together, giddy as Tori had ever seen him. “We’ll be cycling through so many different scenarios that your heads will spin, and you’ll each wind up outside your comfort zone at least once!

“And,” he continued, grabbing a top hat off the stage. “To _cap_ it all off,” Tori giggled at the pun while most of the others groaned. “We’ll be splitting into groups of two for your final project. Front two rows, sign your name on something and toss it in the hat! Back rows get to pick.” Sikowitz handed the hat to Tori, and she scribbled down her name on a spare sheet before passing it off. “Each pair will write a short, original scene featuring two characters. In three weeks, we will do another lottery, and each group will act out others’ scenes at random! Exciting, right?”

“Sounds exhilarating,” Jade deadpanned from the back. Sikowitz snatched the hat from Robbie before the boy could reach his hand in and shoved it toward Jade.

“Since you’re so excited, why don’t you be the first one to pick your partner, hm?” Jade rolled her eyes, but still reached in and fished through the papers for a good half a minute before pulling one. Tori had the distinct impression that the girl was trying to annoy Sikowitz, but the man was as cheerful as ever. Jade thumbed upon the folded strip of paper and her face darkened.

“No.” She reached to put the paper back, but Sikowitz flicked her wrist and pulled the hat out of reach. Jade’s eyes snapped to Sikowitz, promising pain and torment within their green depths, but the acting teacher had long since grown used to her.

“Well?” He prompted, tapping an impatient foot and crossing his arms. Jade’s eyes cut to Tori for only a brief second, but that was all Tori needed to know.

“Vega.” Jade’s tone was clipped and she crossed her arms, fingers tapping an incessant beat on her jacket. Tori frowned. It was not her ideal partnership either, but the least the other girl could do was not act like she’d kicked a puppy.

Then again, Jade might have _liked_ that…

“Splendid! Beck…”Tori tuned the teacher out and tore her eyes away from the annoyed girl when she felt her earlier headache returning in force. She had thought things were getting better ever since Yerba, but apparently Jade still did not like her. Tori let out a low sigh, wondering what _else_ this day had in store for her.

“Hey, it’s not that bad,” Andre’s voice broke her from her melancholy.

Again.

“You think?” She asked, a small flitter of hope growing at his confidence.

“Sure, as long you don’t make her mad, she won’t eat your soul.” Tori’s jaw dropped as Andre broke into a fit of quiet laughter.

“Jerk,” she accused, but the hint of a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. The staggered chime signaled the end of class, and most of the students were out the door before Sikowitz could get another word in edgewise.

\---

“I’m just saying I’d be willing to trade with either of you!”Tori begged, adding as much whine into her voice as she could. All three of the boys and Cat looked unfazed by her pout.

“I’m sorry Toro,” Tori scrunched her nose at the nickname. “But Beck and I just work really well together,” Robbie explained. Tori spared a glare for her nerdy friend, but the boy just shrugged and turned his attention to his puppet.

“Besides,” Rex ‘spoke’ up, “Seeing you so terrified of Jade is high-larious.” Robbie snapped a hand over the puppet’s mouth and gave Tori an apologetic look. She narrowed her eyes at him but let the comment slide. This time.

“It’s true,” Beck said, snapping up a fry. Her mouth hung open, not expecting the boy to agree with the puppet. He caught her expression and was quick to explain, “He and I always play off each other for some great scenes.” Robbie reached up for a high five which Beck answered with an embarrassed wince. As their hands clapped together, Tori let her head rest on her propped up fist with a dejected sigh. If she could not get Jade’s _boyfriend_ to switch places with her, she was doomed.

“I don’t think we should try to mess with Sikowitz’s picks. Last time we tried, he got really mad.” Tori harrumphed and slammed her head into her arms, realizing her fight was lost. None of them would trade their partners for Jade. It looked like she would be stuck with the unpleasant girl’s company for the next few weeks without interruption. Joy.

“Hey,” Jade said in a bored tone as she slid into her normal seat next to Beck. Tori sat up straight, refusing to reveal any weakness to the other girl even as Jade paid all of her attention to giving Beck a hello kiss. Without further ado, the girl dug into her lunch, not sparing anyone else at the table any attention.

Typical Jade. It was the same scene that played out every day. Leave it to Jade to just ignore the problem.

“So…” Beck began after a moment of uncomfortable silence. Tori had to hand it to the guy, he knew the effect his girlfriend had on people and always tried to fix it. “Any ideas on what type of scene you guys are going to write?”

“Horror,” Jade said in between bites before anyone else could respond. Tori huffed at the girl’s matter-of-fact response, but she was cut off by Robbie speaking up before she could object.

“I was thinking we could do a cool action scene!” He declared, putting a hand on Beck’s shoulder. “I’ve been getting into those old karate movies lately. I even started practicing some moves.”

“If you count jumping around your room like an idiot “practicing.” ”

“Rex!” Robbie’s voice came out an indignant squeak, the others laughed, and Jade let out a light snort. Tori had to smile at the ridiculous image of Robbie running around his room like a little kid.

“Sounds cool,” Beck agreed with an easy smile, ending the ventriloquist’s roll of embarrassing himself before it could go to far. Tori rolled her eyes. That boy would agree to anything.

“Well,” Andre interrupted, spinning his mac and cheese with his spoon while a blush darkened his cheeks. “I’ve been in the mood to write a really romantic song, so…” He snapped up a bite of the greasy goodness to his mouth and spoke around it. “I figured I’d turn that into a scene, if you know what I mean.” Tori rolled her eyes, Jade shook her head, and the boys chuckled.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Cat declared, her brows furrowed in concentration. Everyone at the table glanced at each other and unanimously decided to move on.

“I wanted to do a romantic scene too,” Tori declared, sparing her partner a glance. Jade just raised her studded brow.

“You would,” she said, stabbing at her lunch with vicious thrusts of her fork. Tori had no idea whether or not to be offended.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Tori asked in her best imitation of Cat. Jade rolled her eyes and stood from the table.

“I’m not really that hungry,” she told Beck before turning on Tori. “I’m coming over your house later to get this project out of the way. Be ready.” Before Tori could disagree with the girl’s plans, she was gone.

“Sure Jade,” Tori let the sarcasm drip from her tone after Jade was far from earshot. “I’d love to have you over this afternoon, why don’t you stop by?” The others laughed, which did little to make her feel better. “Are you guys absolutely sure-”

“Yes, Tori,” Andre cut her off before she could ask for the thousandth time. “None of us want to trade off with you.” Tori looked to each of her friends, but each avoided her gaze with obvious humor. Tori felt herself glare at them, but held back any anger they most definitely deserved. She would get them back at some point.

“Fine,” she snapped, snatching up a couple fries and taking comfort in their salty goodness. “But I’ll remember this,” she accused, wielding a fry in each of their faces for emphasis. Her friends were unperturbed.

“You usually remember everything!” Cat said in her cheery manner. Robbie, Andre, and Beck broke down into snickers and Tori let her head hang in defeat. She just could not win today.

\---

“Anyone home?” Tori called as she walked through her front door with hesitant steps. Silence greeted her, and Tori was torn between relief and anxiety. She had no sooner stepped out of her sister’s car before the older girl sped off to go shopping with her friends, and Tori dreaded facing the awkward atmosphere that had built up the past few days on her own. Her parents’ absence meant that she had escaped that, for now, but it also meant she would have to be alone with Jade.

And that was always so much _fun_.

Just as that thought crossed her mind, the doorbell rang and Tori dragged her feet answering it. She swung the door open, revealing a bored looking Jade typing away at her PearPhone. The dark haired girl strode into the living room without a word, tossing down her backpack and slumping onto a couch without a second’s hesitation.

“Hello to you too…” Tori muttered, shutting the door and heading for the kitchen. The silence in the house was only broken by Jade’s fingers typing on her phone. “So…” Tori broke the quiet after it became clear that Jade was content for her to make the first move.

“I’ve already got it figured out,” Jade declared, nodding toward the bag she had tossed down onto the couch. Eyebrow quirked in curiosity, Tori grabbed the bag, finding it empty save for a few stray pieces of paper and a well worn notebook. A tab was sticking out of the side, and Tori flipped it open to the marked page to find Jade’s handwriting covering each sheet, front and back. She had outlined a complete idea for a scene that would satisfy Sikowitz’s assignment. Despite the feeling of being left out, Tori could not help but be impressed that Jade came up with a full idea outlined so quickly.

Still, Tori would not let it go without her input. “This is…good,” _And terrifying,_ she added in her head. The scene was supposed to be about a pair of siblings hiding from a madman, and Jade’s notes had the ending…less than happy. Jade gave a small shrug, the hint of a smirk on her face.

Tori dropped down on the couch next to her partner. “But don’t you think I should be involved, you know, at least a little bit?” Jade rolled her eyes and stuffed her phone in her pocket.

“You,” Jade said, giving Tori an intense look that the girl found she could not turn away from. “Should stick to singing and let me take care of the writing.” Tori felt her hands ball into fists at the implied insult.

“I can so write,” Tori declared while Jade just shook her head.

“Not as well as I can.” Jade said it so matter-of-factly that it took Tori a minute to process what she had said.

“I—you…” Tori growled.

“What?” Jade asked, bringing a lock of her green extensions to her line of sight and examining it with the slightest narrowing of her eyes. “You know it’s true.” The worst part was that Tori knew that it _was_ true; she was okay, but Jade was leagues ahead of anyone in their group when it came to writing, except _maybe_ Andre.

And he could only ever write music…

Still…”You don’t have to be such a gank about it,” Tori huffed and stood, wringing her hands while trying to get her annoyance back under control.

Jade let her hair fall from her fingertips. “Is that the word of the day or something?” She gave her head a slight jerk, sending her hair flying over one shoulder. Her eyes begged Tori to rise to the bait, but she forced her own shut and let out a long, low breath.

“Look,” she said in an even tone and met stormy green with steady brown. “Sikowitz will know I didn’t have a part in _this._ ” She waved the notebook in Jade’s face. “And I don’t want to fail just because you couldn’t swallow your pride and work with me.” Jade rose from her seat, nostrils flaring.

“Swallow my _pride_.” Jade’s head nodded with each annunciated word. She reached out and snatched her notebook back from Tori. “I’m just trying to make this as painless as possible.” Jade stuffed the book into her bag with more vigor than was strictly necessary.

“It didn’t have to be painful at all!” Tori threw her hands wide, exasperated, as Jade scoffed. “Why are you like this all the time?” Jade shot her a dangerous look, but Tori was far past the point of caring. Sometimes it seemed like she was the only one that ever called Jade out.

“Like. What?” Jade’s voice was ice, and her hands gripped her bag hard enough where Tori thought she heard the fabric strain in protest.

“Acting like we’re not friends.” Tori let the fight drain from her voice in a vague effort to calm the other girl down.

“We’re not friends,” Jade’s answer snapped back so fast Tori recoiled.

“ _Why_?” Tori, as long as she could remember, had always been a people pleaser. Most everyone liked her and she liked most everyone, and she often went out of her way to help people she considered friends. It had blown up in her face a couple times - faces of her few ex-boyfriends flitted through her mind - but it had almost always been worth it.

And she had been through so much with her friends at Hollywood Arts in the last half a year. From Sikowitz’s zaniness, to dealing with ganks at Karaoke Dokie, to getting locked up in a foreign prison, they had gone through it all together. She could easily say that she was closer to these people than she had been to anyone before in her sixteen years.

Except for Jade.

No matter what happened, Jade would always have a snide remark, or would argue any point she could, or would mock Tori in some way or another. In some ways it was comforting, Tori had to admit, in that Jade was always Jade, but it still frustrated her to no end. And she was _tired_ of trying to figure the other girl out, and - with everything that had been going on lately - she was out of patience.

For her part, Jade was standing rigid, her eyes hard. “Because I don’t like you.” She practically spat the words, but Tori brushed them off.

“You’re lying.” Tori did not know why she was sure, but there was no doubt in her mind that Jade did, in some way, care about her.

Before Jade could retort, though, the front door opened, and Tori’s exhausted looking father stepped over the threshold with an armful of grocery bags. He stopped dead when he saw the two girls facing off in the middle of the living room. He blinked once, then twice, before he spoke up.

“Everything okay here?” The door swung shut behind him, its squeak the only thing breaking the tense silence. After a short moment Tori let herself relax and painted a smile on her face while Jade ran a hand through her black and green locks.

“Everything’s fine,” Tori could not keep the tiredness from her voice, but her dad seemed to accept it anyway. He trudged to the kitchen and set the bags down with a light grunt. “Where’s Mom?” Her father froze for only a half a second, but it was enough for all of Tori’s worries to come back full force.

“She, uh, decided to spend the night at your Aunt Sonya’s,” he explained with a forced smile. Tori felt a hand of ice grip her heart, but forced the feeling away to match her father’s charade.

“So… what’s with the shopping spree?” She teased, her father chuckled, and she felt more than heard Jade shift from foot to foot behind her.

“I figured I’d make my famous _papas rellenas_ for you and Trina.” He glanced about the room as if her loud sister would pop up from nowhere. “Where is she, anyway?”

“I think she’s staying at Sarah’s tonight.” Her father’s face fell and Tori felt a pang of empathetic pain for hm. Trina was gone more often than not, lately.

“Well,” he said after a long pause, “I suppose that’s for the best. It’s been way too long since I’ve spent some quality time with my baby girl.” He reached over the counter and took her hand in his, running a thumb over it in a soothing manner. Tori’s heart broke by just how fragile her father’s voice sounded.

“I…I should go.” Jade’s voice was near a whisper and Tori barely heard her. A glance over her shoulder showed her that the other girl was standing rigid, obviously uncomfortable with what she was witnessing. The realization that she was about to be left alone with her father, who seemed so defeated, made her decision making process go bananas.

“You should stay for dinner!” She blurted out before she could think about it. Jade looked at her as if she had grown a second head, and, considering they had just been in a heated argument, that probably wasn’t far from the truth.

“That would be great!” Her father announced, a true smile lighting up his face. Jade froze, mouth open and ready to retort, and snapped her jaw shut. Tori mouthed a silent ‘please’ and the other girl rolled her eyes.

“I’d love to.” She said, selling a genuine happiness to the older Vega. Tori nodded her thanks to Jade, who only shook her head with a slight narrowing of her eyes. Tori understood. She would owe the other girl a favor or two in the future.

Without further ado Tori and her dad broke into the bags to prepare his _papas rellenas,_ otherwise known as stuffed potatoes. Jade took the time to scribble away at her notebook or text someone, probably Beck, on her PearPhone. The process was slow, peeling, mashing, stuffing, dipping, frying, but she and her father kept up idle chatter the entire time. Tori was careful to avoid any topic that came anywhere close to her mother.

“And, done!” Her father cheered with a flourish, lifting the latest batch out of the deep fryer with a wide grin. He dumped his haul on the growing platter of restuffed root vegetables. Tori’s mouth watered at the sight, knowing that her father’s dish was completely unhealthy but not caring in the slightest.

Jade walked over and gave the platter an experimental sniff. “So what’s in these anyway?” Tori knew that Jade was putting on a cordial front and made a mental note to make it up to the girl with a coffee or something later.

“Trade secret I’m afraid,” her dad said with a wink. Jade went so far as to pretend to pout before taking a seat and snatching the fried deliciousness onto her plate.

“Holy shit,” Jade said once she took a bite, her eyes comically wide. Tori and her father both laughed at the genuine reaction.

“That’s what I like to hear,” her father declared before popping one of his fried treats into his mouth with a grateful grunt of appreciation.

“Amazing as always,” Tori said, moaning around the delicious treat. Conversation from there was staggered as the odd trio focused on their ‘meal,’ but her father regaled Tori and Jade with stories of some of the crazier people he had seen at the precinct the past few weeks. As always, Tori was halfway torn between amusement and terror at her father’s stories, but Jade was absorbing everything with rapt attention. Her father was more than willing to share his more gruesome stories with a willing audience, and when it grew too much for Tori’s liking, she excused herself from the table to start cleaning up.

“…and he just grabbed his crotch,” Her father said between breaths of laughter. Jade was cracking up across the table. “And starts _humping_ in mid air. Just thrusting away.” Jade broke down into _giggles_ , and Tori’s dad took a sip from his drink. “I swear that he thought the cells were full of women.” Tori rolled her eyes, but Jade was now holding her sides in her attempts to breathe through the laughter.

“I don’t know how you deal with all those people,” Tori said with a slight frown while she rinsed her dish.

“Eh, you get used to it.” He leaned back in his chair and reached a hand for hers, not caring that it was wet and soapy. “So tell me everything that’s going on at Hollywood Arts.”

“Well,” Tori began, sparing a hopeful glance at Jade. “Sikowitz wants us to write a scene that a random couple of classmates will perform.”

“He’s the crazy one with the coconuts, right?” Both Jade and Tori laughed at that.

“Yeah, but we’ve had a bit of a disagreement over the type of scene we should write,” Tori explained, sudden inspiration telling her to play the situation to her advantage.

“Oh?” Her father said, turning a curious gaze between the two girls.

“Jade wants to do a horror scene, but I want to do something else.” Tori explained, ignoring the darker girl giving her a warning look through narrowed eyes.

“Well, the art of compromise goes back many generations.” Her dad adopted a deeper voice and sounded amused as he glanced between the two girls.

“Well, _compromise_ , is a foreign concept to—“ Tori was cut off by the door squeaking open. All three of them froze in place as Tori’s mother entered the house, standing rigid and eyes guarded.

“Holly…” Her father said, rising from his seat, his genial smile disappearing from his face. Her mother’s eyes narrowed at the scene before her, and she lingered her gaze on Jade for a split second longer before she answered.

“I think I can spend the night in my own house,” she declared, and Tori was lost. She knew that her parents were having trouble, but she just could _not_ deal with it right now.

“Tori, Jade, could you please…?” Her father’s voice was clipped, and Tori had to only look between the two before she knew she did _not_ want to be anywhere near this conversation. She grabbed Jade’s hand and dragged the other girl up to her bedroom, ignoring her friend’s objections the entire way.

As soon as she closed her door, she could hear the muffled ‘conversation’ her parents were having. It was a familiar situation ever since the exact same scenario played itself out for the first time a week ago.

“I should really…” Jade’s voice was hesitant, more unsure than Tori had ever heard it before, but Tori could not bring herself to appreciate the breakthrough. Her parents’ voices echoed, muffled but clear in their intention, and Tori just wanted to be anywhere but there.

“Jade, please,” was all Tori managed, holding out a hand. It went against everything she knew, knowing just how likely the other girl would just walk away from all the drama and tell her to deal with it herself.

Instead, Jade intertwined her fingers with Tori’s, and stayed that way through her parent’s argument ended hours later. Tori was not sure whether to be embarrassed or relieved, and so lost herself in the feeling of comfort of having a friend there to help her through this.


	2. Baby Steps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on FFN. Crossposted to AO3 2/10/2016

When Jade woke up, she knew exactly where she was, and started to question her sanity.Last afternoon she had driven to Vega’s house with every intention of staying for all of fifteen minutes. Instead…

“Don’t…go…” Vega muttered in a sleep, a quiet whimper accompanying her words as she rolled onto her side, one arm stretching across the bed to lay over Jade’s stomach.

_Oh hell no,_ she thought, feeling her eye twitch and her nose flare. She removed the offending appendage and yanked the covers off her without bothering to be gentle. Vega grunted, but remained asleep. Jade shook her head with a roll of her eyes. Vega had kept them up well into the early hours of the morning, and would not even try to sleep until her parents had stopped arguing.

She never said a word, but only looked ready to panic whenever Jade moved so much as an inch away. Against every fiber of her being that wanted to escape from the awkward situation, Jade had stayed. At least the half-Latina’s bed was comfortable.

Jade sighed and glanced at the clock, wincing as the minute turned and the alarm blared. She cursed under her breath and slammed hand on top of the offending time piece, cutting off the shriek. Vega mumbled something and sat up, her flyaway hair and bleary eyes givingJade a small chuckle.

“Time’s it?” Vega’s voice was laced with exhaustion. She was not a morning person, apparently.

“Almost time for school.” Jade strode over to her unwitting host’s dresser and yanked open a drawer, and grimaced at the vast array of colorful garments that were revealed. She debated just going home and being late for the day, but thought better of it.

“What’re you doing?” Vega asked around a yawn. Jade heard the blankets shift and assumed the girl had managed to pry herself out of bed.

“Looking for something to wear since it’s your fault I’d be late if I went home,” Jade said, closing the drawer and opening another at random. “Do you have anything that won’t melt my eyes, or…” She trailed off, half amused by her discovery. “Really, Vega?”

The half-Latina looked peeked over Jade’s shoulder, a fierce blush rising to her cheeks as she saw what Jade had found. “I thought they were cute, okay?” She defended, arms crossing beneath her chest.

“You would,” Jade said, closing the drawer, returning the graphic underpants back to the darkness, and switched to a different drawer. “You’re such a child.” Vega shouldered passed her and yanked open a pair of drawers before handing her dark jeans and a passable dark blue top.

“Here, go take a shower…” Vega was blushing, but Jade decided to let the subject drop, for now. She padded across the hall, cutting off a half-conscious Trina, and sniggered at the older girl’s obvious confusion.

The water was hot and stinging on Jade’s skin, but she relished in it anyway. Trina’s voice echoed into the bathroom, complaining about being replaced as first in line for the shower. Jade had to grin as Vega’s own aggravated tone came in to her defense against the older sister’s incessant ranting. Jade hummed a joyful tune to herself at that, as it at least made the morning more interesting.

She took all of five minutes before she turned the water off, dried herself, and pulled on Vega’s clothes. She grimaced as the cloth clung to her skin, as Vega’s outfit was much tighter than her normal fare. Jade rolled her arms and wiggled her hips in a vain effort to stretch the cloth, but gave up after half a minute. She could already picture the eyes that would trail after her that day and sighed. At least Beck would enjoy the show.

“All yours,” she told the older Vega sister with a smirk as she exited the bathroom. Trina gave her a withering look before shouldering past her into the bathroom. Jade flicked her eyebrows at Vega, entertained by the older sister’s annoyance, but Vega just bit her lip and stared at the bathroom door with no small degree of worry. “Hey,” Jade nudged the other girl’s shoulder, feeling a rare moment of compassion. “She’s just being Trina, you know?”

Vega nodded her agreement, and after a long few moments of awkward silence, Jade made her way back to the younger Vega’s room while Vega stood outside the bathroom like a loyal lapdog.

Alone in Vega’s bedroom, Jade debated snooping around, but decided against it. She already knew everything about the room since the last time she was here. She smirked, knowing what the ‘virtuous’ Vega was hiding in the darkest corners of her most personal place. She entertained herself with thoughts of revealing the Latina’s secrets until Vega finally stumbled back into the room a half hour later.

“Mind giving me a ride to school?” Vega asked, wringing her hands through her moist and unkempt hair. “I don’t want to deal with Trina this morning.”

For whatever reason, Jade felt generous at that moment. “Sure,” she replied, pulling herself off the girl’s bed. “Just don’t go around saying you owe me a favor, even though you do.”

“Right,” Vega replied, and headed out. Jade followed her, expecting a quick exit, but was distracted by her rumbling stomach at the smell of a freshly cooked breakfast. She almost ran into Vega as the girl stood at the bottom of the stairs with her jaw loose. Jade followed the girl’s line of vision to the older version of Trina hard at work on the stove with a look of supreme concentration locked in her features.

“Mom?” Vega asked, and Jade felt her heart double take at how desperate tone in the girl’s voice. She bit the inside of her cheek to get control over herself, annoyed at the instinctual weakness.

“Tori!” Mrs. Vega exclaimed, shoveling off the pancakes from her griddle onto a plate. “I made my famous pancakes for you girls this morning!” Jade resisted the urge to cringe, immediately realizing where Trina got her more…exuberant traits from.

“You actually made breakfast for us?” Vega was already stepping toward the kitchen, an annoying, cheerful smile on her face.

“It’s been forever since I did, so I figured…” Jade cocked her head in sheer wonder why Vega looked so ecstatic for this turn of events. The half-Latina plopped down at the table in similar manner as she did the night before, and dug into the meal her mother prepared with much vigor. Jade stalked toward the dining area, eyeing and extra fourth plate with some trepidation. Usually spontaneous acts of kindness came with a caveat.

“I made some for you too, Jade.” Mrs. Vega declared, sitting herself across from Vega.

“Where’s Dad?” Vega asked, the hope in her voice so palpable that Jade could not help but wince. Mrs. Vega hesitated, her fork faltering halfway to her mouth, before she responded.

“He’s picked up some extra hours at the precinct,” the older woman said with a practiced smile. Vega seemed to accept it without an argument, but the jovial atmosphere had grown tense. Taking her queue from the ensuing silence, Jade started on her breakfast and had to admit it was just as good as the dinner from the night before.

“Do I smell pancakes?” Trina’s voice cracked the atmosphere minutes later as the girl stomped down the stairs with an expectant look adorning her features.

“You do,” Vega’s mother’s tone was clipped and the older woman crossed her arms over her chest. Trina was oblivious to her mother’s apparent annoyance and raced across to the table. “Where were you last night?”

“At Sarah’s.”

“That’s the third night in a row.”

“Well it’s not like I could get any beauty rest here this week,” Trina complained, still not meeting her mother’s eyes. Jade flicked her gaze between the other two Vegas. Tori was motionless, eyes downcast, and gripping her fork tight enough that she was trembling. Her mother’s mouth had pressed into a thin line and her nostrils flared in a look that Jade recognized from the countless times she pissed off her own mother.

“Well, I’m out of here,” Jade declared, rising from her stool. There was only so much awkwardness she could stand.

“I’ll head out with you!” Vega announced, pushing out her seat so quickly that it fell over with a loud thunk. Jade entertained the idea of changing her mind, but Vega’s desperate expression made her think twice. It was clear the girl wanted to be anywhere else in the world at that moment.

“…fine.” Jade allowed against her better judgment, leaving the other two Vega women staring after them will inscrutable expressions and not a single word of farewell. Jade could not care less, but she could tell that every step hurt Vega on a personal level.

\---

“Jade…” Vega spoke up, breaking the silence for the first time as Jade pulled her car into her usual spot. She switched off her engine and quirked an eyebrow in question at the girl.

“What?” She asked, hoping to convey her impatience with every fiber of her being. Of course, Vega was oblivious to her mood.

“I just wanted to say… thank you for last night.” Vega sounded as vulnerable in that moment as she had the night before when tears had streamed down her face and her sobs had been muffled by either Jade’s shoulder or her own pillow. The Goth girl could not help but feel a pang of reluctant sympathy.

“Don’t mention it,” she said at length, and Vega looked relieved. ”No, seriously. Don’t ever mention it. Ever. At all.” Jade clarified, hoping Vega would get the less than subtle hint. The half-Latina nodded her agreement with a wry smile and stepped from the car, and Jade was behind her a few moments later, a bit uncomfortable in clothes that were not hers. She picked at the fabric of her borrowed shirt, wondering how Vega could be comfortable in such a constricting outfit.

The duo wandered from the parking lot into the main entrance of Hollywood Arts. Vega kept looking around as if somebody would actually notice their odd entrance together, and Jade just rolled her eyes. If anyone could be bothered to see something out of the ordinary with Jade West or Tori Vega, well, she would have certain words ready for their stalkerish attitudes.

She left Vega as soon as they crossed the school’s threshold and headed for her own locker without a single word. She could swear she felt Vega’s eyes on her back, but refused to look back. Instead, she kept her eyes locked on her own scissor-covered locker and did not relax until she felt Vega’s gaze drift elsewhere.

“Good morning Jade!” Robbie’s overenthusiastic voice broke the quiet, one hand on his locker, the other stuffed inside his puppet, Rex. Jade ignored the odd boy and grabbed the books she’d need for class and headed off. She vaguely recognized Robbie making a snarky comment though the puppet, but had long since put the boy’s actions out of mind. She strode toward her class, feeling a sense of pride as the people in the hallway seemed to separate before her with every step she took.

She had the people of Hollywood Arts well trained.

“Hey, I expected you over last night.” The familiar voice filled her with a sense of peace and contentment. His arm laced around her shoulder and squeezed, and the ever present tingle shot up Jade spine at the contact. She let out a sigh and leaned into Beck’s embrace.

“I meant to come over,” Jade allowed, allowing a small smirk as his fingertips trailed up and down her arm. “But I was stuck at Vega’s all night.”

“Oh,” Beck laughed, and Jade swatted his arm. “Should I be worried?”

“Only in your dreams, Pervert.” Beck chuckled and held her closer; they stepped in line, as they did every day, towards their first period class.

“Seriously though, anything you need to talk about?”

“Why do you care so much?”

“Well, it’s not exactly normal for the girl I love and her worst enemy to spend the night together.”

“We’re obviously trying to hide our illicit love affair.”

“Explains the clothes,” Beck reasoned. Jade rolled her eyes.

“Well now that you know, what are you going to do about it?”

“Watch from the corner?” Jade punched his arm again, but the boy just laughed it off.

“Only in your dreams,” she repeated, opening the door to Sikowitz’ room.

“The best dream,” he countered, plopping into his normal seat. Jade rolled her eyes, far too used to his antics by now. Minutes trickled by as the room filled up, and the bell came and went with no sign of their teacher, as usual. Jade counted down in her head from thirty as soon as the chime ended, and sure enough…

“Settle down children, settle down!” Sikowitz charged into the classroom at that moment, coconut in one hand and his other waving in a chaotic manner. “Can anyone tell me what we were going over last class?”

“Acting out something when you didn’t feel the emotion,” Robbie provided dutifully. Sikowitz snapped his attention toward the curly-haired boy, forcing the skittish Robbie to jump in his seat.

“Right!” The balding hippie shouted, clapping his hands together. “How goes the projects?” Sikowitz asked, as if he expected people to have come up with something substantial after a single day. After a long minute of silence, he continued. “As expected the process of art takes its own pace.” He danced across the stage, oblivious about their lack of reaction. “Still, our progress cannot be stopped! Andre, Robbie, on stage!” The dark skinned boy and the nerd hopped up and headed or the makeshift stage. “So, until we have something else to focus on, we will continue to improve ourselves as performers!”

“Today’s challenge is to act like the other!” Sikowitz announced, hopping off the stage and claiming Andre’s seat. Andre and Robbie glanced at each other and shrugged before adopting their characters. Jade grinned, expecting the drama before it happened.

“Yo, yo, yo!” Robbie started off. The entire class, Andre included, took a minute to give Robbie the most disbelieving looks they could, before Andre jumped off the stage and grabbed Rex. Robbie looked like he was about to break scene, but a timely cough from Sikowitz kept him in character.

“Yo Andre,” Andre said in a poor excuse for Rex’s voice. Robbie squeaked in protest, but the class tittered in response. Jade rolled her eyes, almost feeling sympathy for the ventriloquist.

“Hey Rex, what epic plans do you have for the weekend?” Jade snickered, hearing Beck hold back a snort at Robbie’s ‘cool’ voice.

“Oh, you know how it is. I got me a couple of Northridge Girls. Robbie’s got nothing to do, though, you know.”

“Northridge girls! I know all about that my brother!” Robbie held up a hand for a high five which Andre reluctantly returned. “You’ll be rolling in the p—“

“Okay!” Sikowitz interrupted before Robbie could make more of a fool of himself. As soon as Sikowitz spoke, Robbie snatched Rex away from Andre and started to check over the puppet like it had been violated. Jade tried to not be creeped out by the motion, but the impression had already been made.

“Tell me why you’re friends with him again,” she whispered to her boyfriend. Beck shrugged and let loose a small chuckle.

“Rob’s a decent guy, just really, _really_ weird.”

“If you say so…” Jade hedged, watching the odd boy take a seat while whispering sweet nothings to his puppet.

“That was…interesting!” Sikowitz allowed, before putting the subject behind him. “Anyway, Beck, Cat, you’re up!”

“Kay kay!” Beck cheered in an overenthusiastic manner. The class broke into laughter. Poor Cat looked bewildered by the reaction, but was placated by Beck’s hand guiding her onto stage by the shoulder.

“Situation?” He asked Sikowitz. The teacher looked stumped, hand held to his chin with a look of deep thought lining his face.

“Accidental pregnancy?” Sikowitz announced after a long moment of silence. Jade rolled her eyes after the rest of the class gasped like it was some sort of unusual situation. Sometimes she wondered what went on in that man’s head.

“Right…” Beck said, and then bounced on his feet to get back into character. “Beck, Beck, Beck!” He yelled at the redhead, a look of anxious worry dominating his features. Jade leaned forward, chin resting. Jade knew just how far the hyper girl could take the acting scenes, and she was curious where the redhead would try to lead it.

“What is it, Cat?” The redhead said in her most aloof voice. If Jade did not know the girl better, she would have bought the act.

“I have great news!” Jade had to stifle a laugh at Beck’s over exuberance, drawing an odd look from Vega and Sikowitz, but she ignored them.

“What news?” Cat asked, putting on an air of false interest.

“I’m pregnant!” Beck announced, bouncing for emphasis. Cat looked absolutely distraught at the revelation even as Beck danced in circles around her.

“You’re…what?” She asked, so subdued that Jade could scarcely believe it was Cat.

“I’m pregnant!” Beck announced again, pulling the redhead into a hug. Cat stiffened in the embrace, and Jade smirked. “Isn’t that wonderful?”

“Wonderful, right,” Cat said, eyes faraway.”I should…I should go…”

“Go?!?” Beck asked, affronted, pulling away from the redhead. He gave her his best annoyed look. “You’re ashamed of me!” He accused, jabbing a finger at his partner.

“No!” Cat looked legitimately insulted from that and Jade held back a snicker. “I just don’t think we’re ready for this…” She trailed off, looking off toward the audience.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jade could not keep it together after Beck’s enthusiastic use of Cat’s favorite line, and Sikowitz called the end of thescene when the rest of the class lost it as well.

“Excellent, excellent!” Their enthusiastic teacher announced, dancing around the stage with a coconut held to his lips. “This is the type of intensityI love to see!” Jade rolled her eyes but could not help but grin at her teacher’s enthusiasm. It was annoying that it was so contagious. “This is exactly what I want to see when you get to your final performances of the year, as such!” He announced, shuffling his feet to indicate his need for a drumroll, which the class provided him. “The rest of the class time will be dedicated toyour partners!”

Beck gave her a poke in the shoulder before heading to Robbie, and Jade was not given a moment to process it before Vega was settled in the seat next to her. Sikowitz was hovering around each pair for a few moments, sipping on his coconut and listening in. It looked like they would have to get some work done.

“So…” Vega started, twiddling her hands, looking anxious.

“So…” Jade was annoyed that she felt as awkward as Vega looked.

“Have you figured out anything else aboutour scene?”

“I already showed you what I had, Vega.”

“I meant,” Vega drew out the sentence in an almost teasing manner. “Have you figured out how to compromise?”

“I don’t compromise,” she informed her partner, blunt as always. Jade settled back into her chair, relaxing at the familiar bickering.

“Too bad,” Vega said. Jade narrowed her eyes, almost impressed by the other girl’s continued defiance.

“I’ve already got it mostly written,” Jade said, picking up where their argument had been interrupted the night before.

“And I still don’t care,” Vega said, jutting out her chin in challenge. “I want to be a part of this.”

“I don’t care.”

“I don’t care that you don’t care.” Jade did not bother retorting to the lame comeback and tried to stare the other girl down. Vega matched her heated gaze, brown eyes aglow in determination.

“I thought, after last night, you’d be…” The girl said after a few tense moments, but trailed off and looked away. Jade scoffed.

“What, because you’re having a shitty time I’m suddenly supposed to be nice to you?” Vega recoiled from her, hurt lining her features. Jade felt something akin to guilt bloom in her chest.

“No, I just thought I got my point across, is all,” Vega backtracked, but all the heat was gone from her eyes. Jade frowned at that.

“What do you think you could add that I haven’t already covered?”

“I could make it less cliché.” Vega’s comment struck at the very core of Jade’s being and she leaned in on the Latina with all her annoyance written on her features.

“Less…cliché…” Jade repeated, inching forward with every syllable on the girl. “Do explain,” Jade said, allowing all her sarcasm to poor through.

“Well,” Vega said, scooting back a bit in her chair. Jade grinned. “You have the protagonists as siblings against an invader. I mean, it’s been done. I’d change it to a couple”

“Like tha that hasn’t been done before,” Jade scoffed.

“Bu they’re trying to sacrifice the other to the killer because they’re having problems. The ‘winner’ then ends up realizing how much their love meant to them…” Jade paused in her prepared rant, allowing Vega’s idea to find its place in her vision. After a few moments, even she could not deny that the idea had some…potential.

“Not bad, Vega,” Jade allowed, absently playing with the hem of her borrowed shirt. New scenarios played off her mind in tandem, many different results broadcasting their results in her mind’s eye. “You might not be completely useless after all.”

“You should know that by now,” Vega countered. Jade raised a challenging brow, but Vega just shrugged with that damnable grin of hers, eyes shining in victory, and Jade had to give the girl the small win. Vega could be stubborn when she wanted to be.

“I never figured you’d want such a dark ending.”

“It has its place, sometimes.” She trailed off and her gaze grew distant once again. Jade raised a curious brow. The Latina could not decide on an emotion to stick with today.

“That it does.” Jade pulled out her notebook and began scratching at the outline, taking in Vega’s suggestions and adapting them to her original vision. Vega scooted her seat so she could study the notebook over Jade’s shoulder, and got so close that Jade could feel the girl’s breath brush her cheek. Jade felt a pleasant chill run down her spine and she almost dropped the notebook.

“Hey girls!” Andre’s voice interrupted the moment as he pulled a chair up across from them. “How’s the scene coming along?” Vega shifted away from Jade, giving the boy a wide smile. The air around Jade felt inexplicably cooler at that moment.

“They probably have something amazing done already!” Cat exclaimed, clapping as she took the seat opposite Andre. Beck and Robbie plopped down as well, surrounding her and Vega. If Jade did not know any better, she was sure they interrupted them on purpose.

“They’ve got nothing on our scene,” Robbie proclaimed with a wide grin, leaning forward. Jade refused to take the nerdy boy’s challenge, but Robbie’s puppet was not so stubborn.

“Yeah, because their scene is actually _good_ ,” Robbie said in his Rex voice. Jade rolled her eyes, ignoring the puppet boy.

“Rex!” Robbie proclaimed, sounding the utmost insulted.

“Our idea is actually really good,” Beck allowed, and Jade paused. If Beck thought it was good, then…

“Who do you hope plays it?” Vega asked, fingers tapping on her knees. Jade blinked, having not even thought of the fact that some random pair of classmates would be playing out her scene. She could feel the excitement fade as she stared at her modified outline. She did not trust many of her classmates to pull off the emotions she was going for.

“Well,” Robbie said, tapping his chin, “I think anyone could pull it off, but Beck and I would be perfect for the rolls.”

“Getting your own play is like a one in a dozen chance,” Andre observed, staring at his phone as he texted someone. “I don’t think Sikowitz would let it happen, anyway.”

“Well, that’s one man’s opinion,” Robbie said.

“One _lucky_ man,” Rex added, and Andre grimaced. He was paired with a girl who had a desperate crush on him, but did not interest the musician in the slightest.

“You’re a sick man, Rob.” Andre declared, not playing into the boy’s peculiarity.

“That was Rex!” Robbie defended, holding the puppet close to his chest. Jade shook her head, wondering for the hundredth time what the world would look like if Vega had let the puppet die when the opportunity presented itself. It surely could not be any worse than it already was.

“This is all very interesting,” Jade resisted the urge to jump from her seat as Sikowitz’ voice spoke from right behind her. “But I don’t think it’s time to be a bunch of chatty—" The bell chose that moment to interrupt the balding man, whose demeanor immediately brightened. “Oh well, chat away!” Without another word the teacher strode from the room while humming a cheerful tune.

“Saved by the bell,” Andre said with a laugh, shouldering his bag.

“Oh I love that show!” Cat declared as they filed out of the room. They all shared a small laugh before splitting up for classes they did not share.

\---

By the time the end of the dayarrived, she and Vega had texted back and forth about the final scene so many times that Jade was barely able to identify her original idea in the draft. Still, the idea still needed to be fleshed out, and Jade found herself heading to her partner’s locker after she would normally have headed home for the day.

“I’m just saying that Karaoke Dokie is probably the best place to go to,” Beck’s voice greeted her as she rounded the corner. Jade felt the familiar blaze of suspicion sink in her stomach and she pressed against the corner, unseen.

“Nozu is still better,” Vega said, swapping the books in her bag for those still in her locker. “I never liked the guy that runs that place.”

“He stopped being a douche awhile ago,” Beck countered, leaning against the wall with hands stuffed in his pockets. “Besides, when’s the last time you got a chance to sing? Really sing?” Vega paused, book halfway stuffed into her bag.

“A few weeks?” She asked with head cocked to the side and eyes toward the ceiling.

“A few weeks too long,” Beck teased with a grin. Jade’s left eye twitched and she resisted the urge to march over and knock Vega out before strangling her boyfriend.

“I haven’t really felt like it, I guess.” Vega bowed her head and toyed with the clasp of her bag.

“Any reason why?” Vega shrugged and shut her locker.

“Not really.” Jade’s eyebrows shot up in surprise at the blatant lie.

“You know, you could always…” Beck ran a hand through his hair, and Jade recognized the look on his face. He was entirely uncomfortable. “Talk to me. If you needed to, or wanted…” Vega offered Beck a kind smile, and Jade decided to make her presence known.

“Hey,” she kept her tone nonchalant as she walked up, grabbed Beck by the shoulder, and pulled him into a lingering kiss. She pulled away after a few seconds - just enough time to leave Beck wanting more – and turned to Vega, who was blushing and looking anywhere but at the couple. “So, what were you two talking about?” Vega flinched at Jade’s tone, but Beck was calm as ever.

“Plans for tonight. How does Karaoke Dokie sound?”

“Like a bunch of talentless people and terrible food.” She did not move her eyes away from Vega, who was steadfast in avoiding Jade’s eyes.

“So you’re in?” Beck asked, and Jade shrugged. She knew he would have his small, victorious grin on his face as he weaved an arm around her shoulder and squeezed.

“Hey ladies, Beck.”

“Andre!” Vega leapt at the chance to get out of Jade’s focus and hid behind the bemused musician.

“What’s up?” He asked the cowering Latina.

“We’re all going to Karaoke Dokie,” Jade explained. “You’re coming with us.”

“Sounds good,” Andre said with a nod. “What about Robbie and Cat?”

“They’re going to meet us there,” Beck said, eyeing a text on his phone.

“Hey, I never said I could come!” Vega exclaimed from behind Andre. Jade allowed a small frown to grace her features. She could not figure out a reason why Vega would want to skip out on a chance to avoid her tremulous home for even just a few hours.

“There you are!” A collective moment of resigned annoyance passed through the group as Trina’s voice echoed down the hall. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

“Here I am,” Vega had come out from behind Andre. “You know, at my locker…” Jade rolled her eyes at the sarcasm that passed over the older Vega’s head.

“Whatever, you need to find another ride home today.”

“What, why?” The sarcasm dropped out of Vega’s tone, replaced by a mild panic.

“I’m spending the weekend at Sarah’s.”

“So you’re just going to leave me alone, for _three days_? How selfish can you get?”

“Don’t give me that,” Trina snapped, and Vega recoiled. Jade shared an awkward glance with Beck and Andre. She did not want to witness this, but could not look away. “You can’t tell me that you want to be around there while they’re constantly…” She trailed off with a glance at the three of them as if she only realized they were there.

“No, but…There’s got to be something we can do, you know?” The hope in Vega’s voice was palpable and pitiable. Trina sighed, pressed her eyes shut, and held her hands up in a placating gesture.

“There isn’t, Tori, and you know it.” The look of absolute defeat that crossed Vega’s face made Jade want to knock Trina upside the head, but the older girl _was_ right. “Just… just find some other way home today.” Just as quick as she came, the older Vega stalked off, leaving a tense silence in her wake.

“So…Karaoke Dokie?” Jade gave an imperceptible shake of her head as Beck broke the awkward silence. Vega, head down and hair hiding her face, gave a solemn nod.

“I’ll give you a ride,” Jade said before anyone could say anything. She moved from Beck’s embrace and placed a guiding hand on Vega’s shoulder, leading the girl toward the main doors.

“What was that about?” She heard Andre hiss toward Beck. Jade knew without looking back that Beck would only shrug and watch after her and Vega through narrowed, concerned eyes.

By the time the duo made it out to Jade’s car, Vega had collected herself enough to not look like she would burst into tears at any moment, for which Jade was grateful. Dealing with a sobbing Vega once was more than enough for a lifetime, thank you very much. Still, it took over half the trip to the karaoke bar before Vega spoke up.

“Sorry about all of this,” she apologized for the umpteenth time. Jade blew out a quiet, frustrated breath.

“You don’t have to apologize for your sister being such a bitch,” she declared. Vega let out a small gasp and Jade rolled her eyes. “What? It’s true.”

“She’s just upset.” Jade shot Vega a disbelieving look. Was she really defending her sister after the girl basically abandoned her?

“She’s running away.” Vega muttered something in response that Jade could not make out. “What was that?”

Vega hesitated for a long moment. “I wish I could too.” It came out as barely more than a whisper. Jade frowned, trying to figure out the best way to respond. Vega sounded so…fragile at that moment.

“It sucks,” she said after a long moment, and Vega let out a humorless chuckle. “I know what it’s like.”

“Right.” Vega’s voice was laced with disbelief.

“My parents split right when I started middle school,” she explained. “It was…rough.” She frowned as they pulled to a stop at a red light.

“What happened?” Jade’s fingers tapped along the steering wheel and her jaw tightened, asold sights, sounds, and feelings rushed through her head. It would be better off left in the past, she knew. She did not do this. She did not _share._ Not even with Beck. She cut her eyes to Vega and found the Latina hugging herself and looking at Jade with guarded hope.

The light turned, and she found herself talking.

“You’ve met my dad,” Jade started, a slight smirk on her face at the success the play had been. “So you know what he’s like.”

“He’s…distinguished?” Jade gave a humorless chuckle.

“He’s a cold bastard,” she clarified. Vega seemed speechless at that, so Jade pressed forward. “But he’s got nothing on my mom.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen her,” Vega said after Jade had trailed off.

“She’s only around every other weekend for a few hours.” Vega shot her a sympathetic look that made Jade let low growl. “Don’t look at me like that!” Vega snapped her head to look out her window.

“That has to be rough,” Vega’s voice was a whisper after another silence had fallen between them. Jade shrugged.

“She’s a bitch, so…” Jade shook her head and focused on the road in front of her, knowing she was at her sharing limit for the next decade.

“I’m sorry.” Jade quirked a studded brow at Vega.

“What for now?”

“I don’t know,” Vega explained with a shrug, leaning back in her seat and shutting her eyes. She looked much less anxious than before, and for some reason it put Jade at ease.

They passed the rest of the way to Karaoke Dokie in comfortable silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Jade is so much harder to write than Tori, but I hope I managed to pull her off here. As for the others, I know we only really see caricatures of them right now, but they'll have enough time to showcase their personalities in the next chapter. I especially want more time to show my interpretation of Cat, since I feel she comes off a bit too ditzy here. Also, sorry to those of you who look for Beck to be the villain in these types of stories, but I just can't do it. The guy's far from perfect, but I'm trying to do all the characters justice in a 'realistic' setting. So I'm afraid we'll all have to deal with Bade for a little while. It won't be too long though, because I want to get to the Jori action just as much as you guys do!
> 
> Also, sorry for the second Sikowitz class scene in as many chapters, but I felt the need to show how Jade reacts differently to it than Tori does.
> 
> So, questions, comments, criticisms, concerns, let me know in a review! By the by, I'm still torn on the secondary pairings, so let me know your feelings in a review!


	3. Song and Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on FFN. Crossposted to AO3 2/10/2016

_Hanging out with my best friends, about to rock out at Karaoke Dokie_ , Tori typed with a small smile. Her profile page on _TheSlap_ glowed purple on her phone with one last box waiting to be filled. _Feeling…_ Tori chewed on her bottom lip, _relieved?_ Satisfied, she hit the update button and pocketed the smart phone. Cat had been chattering in her ear for the past for the past few minutes, but Tori had tuned the redhead out.

“…and that’s why my brother’s not allowed back here anymore!” Cat finished her story with a flourish, hands trailing along her braided hair.

“Sorry Cat, but I don’t ever want to meet your brother,” Andre said, shaking his head in a disbelieving manner.

“Why not?” Cat cocked her head to the side, eyes wide and innocent.

“Because he’s crazy,” Andre deadpanned. Tori slid her eyes back to Cat, expecting her to look hurt, but the redhead was just nodding with a small frown.

“He really is.”She leaned forward at the table and whispered, “I think he’s going back to the special camp soon.” She gave a slow nod as if she had departed a great nugget of wisdom, and sat back in her seat, her usual smile returned.

“Right, well,” Beck said before an awkward silence could start. “Who wants to sing first? Jade?”

“Banned for life,” Jade said, looking bored as she spun a straw around her drink. Tori’s eyes lingered on the girl for a moment with a frown, wondering if their conversation had darkened Jade’s normal dim demeanor.

“Oh, I forgot!” Cat’s eyes went downcast.

“I’m sure the owner won’t care,” Robbie tried to reassure her, his non-Rex hand finding its way to her shoulder. Tori had to smile at the awkward boy’s nervousness around Cat. It was cute, in a way, as long as he did not…

“After that stunt with Cheekbones, I’m surprised he lets any of you fools in here at all.” Tori stifled a groan as the puppet on Robbie’s knee spoke up, ruining a perfectly good moment.

“They should appreciate our genius,” Jade said with a small smirk. “Torilooked absolutely hideous as Louise Nordoff.” Tori rolled her eyes. That _would_ be what Jade liked best about that night.

“Louise Nordoff?” A new voice entered the fray, belonging to the usual MC for Karaoke Dokie. “That was probably the best night this club’s ever seen.” He leaned toward Tori, giving her a look of deep respect and admiration that left Tori pulling as far back as her chair would allow without falling over. “You’re going to sing again tonight, right?”

“Only if my friends can sing as well,” Tori declared, sensing the chance to get her friends back up onto the stage. The MC nodded like it was no big deal.

“Of course, we’re always looking for new talent to hit the mike.” Tori grinned at the man, who took that as a signal to retreat to his booth.

“So what are we going to sing?” She asked her two lady friends. Cat and Jade looked at each other for a long moment before Jade responded.

“Something awesome,” Jade declared, and without further ado she led Cat and Tori toward the stage, and whispered something to the MC, whowas more than willing to introduce them in a grandiose fashion.His eyes lingered on Tori a few moments too long, but the brunette tried to shake it off as just his appreciation for her voice.

Jade gave Tori a knowing smirk before a rock ballad played over the speakers, and Tori knew exactly what Jade was going for.

“And now for ‘Nobody Like Us’ by Jade West, Cat Valentine, and Louise Nordoff!” The MC announced, much to Jade’s enjoyment. At that moment, Tori decided that holding that nickname would be alright as long as it was one of the few things that made Jade smile

The three girls stood back to back on stage, mikes held at the ready, and Jade let off a bit of steam as she swung her hips against Tori and Cat’s in groove with the beat.Within seconds, Jade’s motions became infectious and both Cat and Tori started moving along with the Goth girl, and, judging from the cheers from the crowd, they really enjoyed the view.

Every time she went on stage, Tori got lost in the lyrics, music, and the energy from the crowd. Sashaying across the stage, voice blaring out a song she hardly knew, playing off Cat and Jade; it all just felt natural, and Tori let the worries of the world slip away until nothing was left but her partners on stage and the show they were performing.

By the time the song was over, Tori was wearing the widest grin she had had in weeks, and felt _damn_ sure that nothing could take it away. She swung an arm around Cat and Jade as they took their bow, and her heart skipped a beat as the crowd go to their feet to applaud them. It always moved her when she got such an enthusiastic response.

“Yeah that was great!” The emcee’s voice echoed through the sound system. “Let’s hear it for the three sexy ladies on stage!” _That was fast_. Tori grumped in her mind as the grin slipped off her face and blush found its way onto her face while the three of them glared at the emcee.

“Yeah, sixteen,” Jade snapped into her microphone. The applause stuttered to a stop and the emcee’s eyes widened complete with a timely squeaking feedback over the speakers.

“My bad,” the man said with a hollow laugh while the three girls walked off stage. “Why don’t we take a five minute break?” Filler music rang out over the speakers as the emcee retreated backstage. Worse, the boys were all trying to stifle their laughter by the time they got back to the table.

“Oh just let it out.” Tori sighed, and both Andre and Robbie both broke into chuckles.

“Did you see his face?”

“Looked like he was about to wazz himself!”

“You did great,” Beck added, humor clear in his voice. He pecked to Jade’s cheek, but she pushed him away with a light smack to his arm.

“You’re just going to ignore what he said?”

“What? He wasn’t wrong.” Jade rolled her eyes but wore a small smirk she hid behind a sip of her drink. Beck snaked an arm around Jade’s shoulders, and Tori saw the girl’s eyes light up just the smallest bit. A painful echo panged in her chest, and Tori forced her attention away from the couple, frowning.

“Hey Cat, want to do a duet with me?” She heard Robbie

“Kay kay! But I don’t want to sing about broken glass again…”

“Hah!” Rex piped up as the rest of them snickered at poor Robbie’s pained grimace.

“Come on,” Robbie said, more bold than Tori had ever heard him. He stood, set Rex down on his seat, and held out a hand for Cat to take. The redhead grinned wide and took the offered hand, dancing along behind Robbie as they went toward the emcee. The remaining four glanced at each other with stifled giggles at the duo’s interplay. It was both immature and adorable, and Tori could not help but feel the joyful simplicity

Robbie had them do an acoustic love ballad that left the rest of them grinning and rolling their eyes at each other, but both he and Cat got lost in the song and each other. Cat’s voice overpowered the song, as she normally did, but Robbie’s simple style countered it well and they played off each other like they had been singing together for years.

After a moment, Tori realized they probably had, and felt the typical slight panic of loneliness that came when she hung out with everyone. As always, though, Andre’s hand found its way into hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She spared the boy a sly smile, glad for his constant support.

By the end the duo were dancing in sync and their vocals were in perfect harmony. When the music cut to the end, Tori joined the others in the club in giving the duo a well-deserved standing ovation. Cat danced on the balls of her feet with her hands clasped and a wide grin on her face while Robbie just wore a stupid smile of sheer happiness. Tori added her voice to the mix, cheering for the two as they exited the stage.

“Think we could follow that?” Andre whispered in here. Tori grinned, running through a list of the songs they had created together in her head. Not taking anything away from Robbie and Cat, but Tori believed that she Andre could blow them out of the water. She nodded, and the boy bounded from his seat to talk to the emcee.

“That was fantastic!” Robbie declared, still holding onto Cat’s hand as they sat down. The bubbly redhead nodded her enthusiastic agreement with a breathy laugh.

“We should go again!”

“I’d love that!”

“Hate to break you two up,” Jade drawled out, rotating her drink in her free hand. “But I think another couple is set to get up and go.” The black haired girl nodded her chin at Tori just as the emcee’s voice came over the speaker.

“Next up, our reigning champion Louise Nordoff with Andre Harris accompanying on the keyboard!” Jade smirked even as Tori groaned and massaged the bridge of her nose. She had the feeling that she would never lose the pseudonym while performing at Karaoke Dokie. Andre pushed her from her seat with a gentle hand that found its way to the small of her back as he guided her to stage.

A microphone found its way into her hand and Tori faced the crowd, including a bored looking Jade. She smirked as an idea popped into her head.

“Thank you for the warm welcome!” Tori spoke into the microphone as Andre settled into a stool for his keyboard and backup vocals. She smirked right at Jade, who raised a studded brow in both curiosity and warning.

Tori ignored it.

“Before we get started, could I get a round of applause for my very shy friend, Jade West? I really want to do this song with her, but she’s too scared to get on stage!” The crowd burst into applause and Jade glared at Tori while Andre’s grin fell into a frown.

Nonetheless, Jade rose from her chair and strode onto stage, snatching a microphone the emcee offered, and she stood next to Tori with a determinedly annoyed expression.

“Yeah, she’s forcing me up here,” Jade bit out, but the crowd ate it up with a fresh round of cheers.

“Alright, what are you singing?” The emcee asked before Jade could say anything else.

“Tell me that you love me,” Andre supplied to the man, and Tori could hear clear disappointment in his voice. She quirked a brow at her best friend, but Andre avoided her gaze. “I gave you the music earlier.” The emcee nodded, tapping away at his equipment.

“Alrighty, we’ve got some original music tonight, let’s hear it for Andre, Louise, and Jade!” Andre’s fingers tapped away the familiar melody of one of his newer songs and the emcee’s equipment echoed in beat alongside it. Tori took a quick breath, and fell into the performance.

As the lyrics tumbled out of her, she heard Jade join in on the chorus and they belted out the words together. Change, acceptance, and determination were tools at their disposal as they delivered the feelings the best they could through the sound of their voice and the beat from Andre’s keyboard. The crowd ate every moment up, recognizing the catchy beat at the very least. Tori, though, just focused on not screwing up the words as she and Jade moved against each other on stage with an instinctual grace.

Working with or against Jade usually led to her favorite part of attending Hollywood Arts, and she had learned enough over the past few months to make sure it ended in a favorable manner. As Andre’s playing came to an end, Tori and Jade ended back to back, belting out the last line to the song to thunderous applause.

Tori grabbed Jade’s hand and raised it in a victorious salute before bringing them down into a deep bow. She repeated the gesture twice more before leading the other girl off the stage with a wide grin. Jade was shaking her head, but had a content smile gracing her features as well. Tori felt a small sense of victory at that.

“That was incredible!” Andre declared, throwing an arm around both their shoulders, his moment of melancholy apparently over. “I don’t think we’ll ever be able to top that.”

“Blame Vega for that,” Jade grumped, slipping from beneath the musician’s arm.

“I’m so sorry for thinking you’d like to be part of the best performance of Karaoke Dokie’s history,” Tori teased with a roll of her eyes. Jade matched with a roll of her own, but her tiny grinrevealed her true mood.

“You’ve just ruined this place for everyone in this room,” Jade said, sliding into her seat next to Beck. “Good job.” Her sarcasm was palpable.

“It’s their own fault for coming when the best singers Hollywood Arts has to offer came to perform,” Tori countered, feeling a bit of spark for the first time in weeks.

“Think that highly of yourself Vega?” Jade asked, snuggling into Beck’s embrace. Once again, Tori felt another pang of loneliness but pushed it to the back of her mind.

“I think that highly of _us,_ ” Tori allowed, tapping her fingers against her glass of soda. Jade cocked her head to the side and gave a slight nod, acknowledging Tori’s point.

“I know it’s a tough act to follow, but do we have any volunteers for the next song?” After over half a minute of silence, Tori held up a hand for a high five of victory which Jade reluctantly returned. No matter how small the venue, causing the rest of the audience to back out completely was a big accomplishment.

After another minute of silence, the emcee relented and played a generic tune over the sound system before coming over to them and offering a free meal in exchange for one or two free more songs.

Considering the boys were willing to kill to get a plate of buffalo nuggets, it was an easy decision to make.

\---

Tori stumbled out of the restaurant hours later, thoroughly exhausted after giving into the crowd’s demands and performing song after song for their eager ears. She wore a wide grin that refused to go away. Even if it was just for a few hours, she had felt like a real pop star.

“So where to next?” Beck asked with a jovial smile, toying with his keys. Jade answered with an immediate groan as she stretched her neck from side to side.

“I don’t think I can handle anything else tonight…” She said, eyeing her car with a look of longing.

“Sinjin told me that Ryder Daniels is throwing a party tonight,” Cat chimed in, ignoring her pained friend.

“It’s still pretty early, we could head over,” Beck suggested after a glance at his phone. Andre, Robbie and Cat immediately agreed.

“Er, no thanks…” Tori said, wondering for a moment if they all forgot what Ryder had tried to pull on her just a few months before.

“Just because he’s hosting it doesn’t mean it’s going to be a bad time, Tor,” Andre said, tossing an arm around her shoulder and giving it a light squeeze. “Besides, we’ll all be there.”

“It’s bad enough I have to be at the same school as that guy, I don’t want to be any closer to him than I have to be. I’ll catch a ride with Jade, thanks.” She slipped out from beneath his arm and stepped next to Jade, who only looked mildly annoyed at Tori inviting herself. Andre looked crestfallen, but nodded his acceptance.

“Are we going to just stand around or are we going to go, I’ve got a couple girls we could pick up before we head over,” Rex’s voice demanded.

“I’m not letting Northridge girls into my car,” Beck deadpanned.

“Oh man, even Northridge girls won’t get into Robbie’s car…”

“Rex!” Robbie objected, looking legitimately offended. It must have been her exhaustion working against her because she actually giggled at the interplay.

“Whatever, let’s get going!” Andre said with a clap and a smile that did not quite reach his eyes. Tori chewed on her bottom lip in worry over the boy’s mood swings.

“Alright, who’s riding with me?” Beck asked while stepping toward his car.

“Wait, you’re still going?” The boy froze in his tracks at his girlfriend’s voice, eyes widening like a deer in headlights.

“…yes?” He drew out the word, tone careful. Tori’s eyes darted back and forth between the couple and felt an impending sense of doom when Jade’s hand found its way to her hip and a glare darkened her features.

“I said I didn’t want to do anything else tonight.”

“I know.”

“So why are you still going?”

“Because I want to.” Jade blew out a heavy breath through her nose, nostrils flaring. Tori took a step back and bumped into Cat, who squeaked at the sudden contact then hid behind Tori’s back after both Jade and Beck snapped their attention in their direction. Beck took one look at them and ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. “Can we not do this now, Jade?”

“Whatever.” Jade snapped, spun around, and strode across parking lot at a determined clip. An awkward silence was left in her wake, but Tori did not have time to endure it before she realized her ride was about to leave her behind.

“Crap,” she muttered and started to run after the girl. “I’ll see you guys later!” She called over her shoulder with a wave. Cat gave her an enthusiastic wave back and Andre gave her a mock salute, but Beck was staring after Jade with a stoic facade and Robbie was looking back and forth between Beck and the retreating Jade with a pained expression.

Tori managed to catch up with other girl as Jade fumbling with her keys. She stuttered to a halt outside the passenger door and Jade locked onto Tori’s eyes with a wary glare. Tense seconds ticked by, and Tori saw the hardness in Jade’s gaze soften the tiniest bit.

“Get in,” Jade said at length, voice betraying nothing that she was thinking. Tori wasted no time in climbing into the car before Jade could change her mind. The silence resumed as Jade pulled out of the parking lot – going the far exit to avoid their friends, Tori assumed – and Jade’s eyes were fixed on the road in front of her. Her face gave away nothing, and Tori had no idea how to break the tension.

“So…” She said, wracking her brain for something clever to say. Before inspiration could strike, her phone vibrated and distracted her.

“ _Make sure to text later so I know that Jade didn’t murder you_.” Tori rolled her eyes at the text and typed up a quick, chastising retort.

“Anything interesting?” Tori chose to ignore the sarcastic dryness in the girl’s voice, determined not to be drawn into a fight.

“Just Andre,” she said, pocketing the pear shaped phone.

“Of course it was.” Jade breathed out a bored sigh.

“What do you mean ‘of course’?” Jade shot her a skeptical look.

“Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed?” Tori’s face scrunched up in confusion.

“Noticed what?” They came to a stop sign and Jade studied Tori, her studded brow raised. After a half a moment she let out a hollow laugh and shook her head.

“Wow Vega,” she drawled, urging her car forward. “I never figured you were _actually_ this naïve.”

“If you have something to say, just say it,” Tori said, letting some of her annoyance into her voice.

“How do you even function?” Jade rolled her eyes, the hint of a bemused smile on her face. It was such a stark contrast to the angry Jade from just a few minutes ago that Tori felt guilty for her slight irritation. “Andre’s into you.”

And the guilt was gone faster than it arrived.

“ _What?”_ Tori sat bolt upright in her seat as Jade’s accusation did not sink all the way in. The very idea was just…ridiculous. Tori stared at the dashboard ahead of her, teeth toying with her bottom lip as she replayed the night’s events in her head, but nothing stood out as out of the ordinary. Andre had just acted like Andre all night. “You’re wrong,” she concluded.

“You really don’t see it?” Jade scoffed.

“There’s nothing to see,” Tori snapped back, crossing her arms.

“Only if you’re blind.” Jade was actually _snickering_.

“What would you know?”

“More than you.”

“Really?” Tori said, patience running out. “You know more than me?” She pushed as much sarcasm in her voice as she could. “You just blew up at Beck five minutes ago because _you_ didn’t want to go to a party. You’re _totally_ an expert on relationships.” Jade’s face immediately dropped into a stoic mask; only her tightened jaw gave away her anger.

“I will kick you out of this car, Vega,” she ground out.

“Whatever,” Tori muttered, turning her entire body to face out the window. They street outside was dark as they passed by. The streetlights did not do much to break through the inky blackness. So when Jade started to slow down, Tori’s heart skipped a beat. She turned back to the girl, but Jade’s expression had not changed.

“You can’t just kick me out,” Tori hated how a bit of panic leaked into her voice. Jade clicked her tongue and guided her car into a parking lot, switched off the engine and, without uttering a word, left Tori alone in the dark.

Tori tore off her seatbelt and scrambled from the car. “Jade!” She called, but the dark haired writer was already stepping into a storefront. Tori’s eyes darted to the name, and she calmed down when she realized Jade had just stopped at a coffee shop. She held a hand to her chest, willing her heart to slow its pace. _So stupid,_ her thoughts echoed. She took slow, deliberate breaths and followed Jade into the store

Jade was already getting a drink by the time she caught up. “That was mean,” she accused with a rough poke to her tormentor’s back. Jade through an annoyed look over her shoulder and shrugged, stepping aside with her drink.

“Can I help you?” The middle aged woman behind the counter asked, eyeing the two girls with a wary expression.

“A small hot chocolate, please.” Jade started tapping her foot and glanced at her watch. Tori sent her a withering look. It was her fault they were there in the first place. Cash and drink changed hands, and no sooner had Tori gotten her receipt that Jade was striding out of the small store and Tori had to race to keep up. Again.

“Jade, wait!” It took catching up to the girl and grabbing onto her shoulder for Jade to finally stop and spin around. Tori recoiled at the intensity in Jade’s eyes.

“What?” She snapped, and Tori felt confused. There was no reason for Jade to be _this_ angry over what she had said. Even Jade did not overreact this much.

“Why are you so mad?” Tori figured there was no use beating around the bush.

“Because _you_ piss me off.” It was clear bait, and Tori knew it. She matched Jade’s gaze, as they usually did when they argued, and blinked in realization when she saw that Jade’s blue-green eyes were the slightest bit swollen.

Tori had apparently hit a sore subject, and immediately felt guilt at that realization.

“Alright, what’s going on with you and Beck?” Jade just shook her head and crossed the rest of the distance between them and the car.

For the third time that night, Tori was left to either chase after Jade or fall behind. It was a trend that she could do without.When Tori slid into the passenger seat, Jade was steadfast in staring ahead of her, one hand on the wheel and the other on her coffee. Tori recognized the silent warning to stay quiet, but was determined to press forward.

“You can talk to me, you know.”

“It’s none of your business, Vega.” Jade’s voice was not heated anymore, but the tiredness there gave Tori pause. She took a long sip of her drink, savoring the sweet liquid as it rolled over her tongue, before she responded.

“No, I guess it isn’t.” Tori allowed the point, but soldiered on. “But you were there for me yesterday, so I figured—”

“What, that you’d get to repay a favor? I’m not going to sit and cry while you hold my hand Vega. That’s not me.” Tori recoiled from the implied insult, hurt settling into her chest. Jade seemed determined to be a gank.

“Who else can you go to?” Tori answered, letting a little heat into her voice. It would be mean, but she felt as tired as Jade looked; and her patience was wearing thin.

“I don’t need anyone to ‘go to’.”

“You can’t be strong all the time. It’s okay to lean on others every once in awhile,” Tori repeated the words her mother had once spoken to her when she was just a kid, and a pang of nostalgic longing filled her.

“Well thank you Mr. Rogers,” Jade drawled. “Now I’m all ready to share my feelings so everything can magically become sunshine and daisies.”

“You’ll feel better once you tell me,” Tori said, ignoring the sarcasm.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“Vega,” Jade growled out.

“West,” Tori countered. Jade took a series of deep breaths before speaking again.

“Beck and I have been in a rough patch the past few weeks. Now will you please _shut up_?” Tori hummed and leaned back in her seat, going over everything she had noticed about the couple in the past two weeks and furrowed her brows in confusion.

“You both act normal when we’re all together,” Tori pointed out to the other girl, who let out a long groan.

“Why do you care so much?”

“Because we’re friends.” Jade gave her a quick look like she had grown three extra heads.

“No. No we are not.” Jade said the words slowly, as if speaking to someone who did not understand English. The words stung a little, but Tori still pressed forward.

“We really are.” Tori cocked her head to the side and studied Jade’s reaction, but the girl gave nothing away.

“You’re an idiot.”

“And you’re in denial,” Tori concluded. “If you’re not my friend, why did you stay with me all night?” Jade’s mouth opened and closed a few times before she snapped it shut with an audible click of her teeth. Tori felt an immense sense of satisfaction of having, for once, beaten Jade West in an argument.

“You annoy me,” Jade said after a long few minutes filled with nothing but the sounds of her car.

“I know,” Tori said, picking at the edge of her cup’s lid. They were quiet again until Jade took a series of turns Tori was unfamiliar with.

“Er, Jade? Where exactly are we going?”

“If I’m going to _share_ ,” she scrunched up her nose in disgust at the word. “I’m sure as hell not going to do it sober.” Worry nestled its way into Tori’s mind, but she felt like she had pushed Jade as far as she could tonight. Anything else, she believed, would not end well.

So she sat back, and decided to go with flow.

\---

The house they arrived at was normal, as far as Tori could see. She was not sure what she had expected, but the two story building painted a soft greenwas not it. The second level of the house covered just the left half of the building, giving it an imbalanced look, but that was the only unique thing about it. The front yard, small as it was, looked like it was maintained with meticulous care, and a small garden of wildflowers lined the base of the building’s front. A path of cobblestone led from the driveway to a sturdy, dark wooden door that was lit up by a glowing light that hung above it. It was all very welcoming, and very un-Jade.

“Come on,” Jade said as she killed the engine. Tori followed her friend out of the car and up the path, wondering how many people Jade had let see her home. She was sure Beck had, at least, but she got the feeling that even Cat had not seen this place.

It made her feel special, in some weird way.

The front opened up into a sitting room, with neutral colors dominating. Brown on the walls, beige for the carpet, and leather for the furniture that looked barely used. The only decorations in the room were a few abstract watercolors that hung from the walls not dominated by the entertainment system, but Tori was left with the feeling that something was missing. Tori moved to go sit on one of the couches, but Jade huffed and dragged Tori along.

“I don’t use that room,” she said and offered no further explanation. She pulled Tori through a wide hallway, broken only by a single door on each wall, both locked, and decorated in the same color and artwork as the living room. It openedinto kitchenthat was all yellows and whites. Jade paused long enough to grab two glasses out of a lightwood cabinet before striding back down the hallway, stopping at one of the doors. “Hold these,” she said and handed Tori the glasses. Bemused, Tori did so and watched as Jade reached into her jacket pocket and produced to thin, silver bits of metal. Horror dawned on her as she realized Jade was going to pick the lock.

“Jade!”

“What?” The girl muttered, eyes closed and eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Tori heard a distinct click and her friend grinned in triumph. Before Tori could protest any further, Jade pushed into the room and Tori was forced to follow.

The room turned out to be a spacious office. The far wall was dominated by a stonework fireplace that Tori loved on sight. Two tall windows bookended the stone, taking up the rest of the wall, while two high backed leather chairs were juxtaposed to face the pit with a small mahogany table between them. The left side of the room seemed to be the work area, as a thick mahogany desk sat imposing in the corner, full of files and an open laptop. A liquor cabinet, made of the same wood, stood off to its side, but that was not where Jade headed.

Instead the girl moseyed to the opposite side of the room that was lined with file cabinets and a door, mahogany of course, in the corner. She started to dig through the bottommost row of drawers, growing more agitated with each one she went through. Bored with watching Jade’s antics, Tori decided to get a closer look at what was on the desk.

It was not snooping if it was out in the open, she decided.

“You know there’s a cabinet full of stuff right there, right?” Tori asked while idly glancing over the folders. It all seemed to be case files similar to what she had seen her father study at night many times in her life. Disgruntled by the boring find, Tori plopped down onto the desk, knocking the laptop out of sleep mode.

“If I took any of that, my dad would actually care. Ah-ha!” She declared, pulling out the last drawer on the right. Tori could hear the clinking of glass, but her eyes were fixated on the computer screen with a goofy smile on her face. The computer’s background image showed a younger version of Jade’s father and a little girl that had to be Jade standing in a park. Jade’s father was beaming, but Jade was looking away from the camera, trying to pout. The slight upturn of the child’s lips gave away the game though, and Tori decided that little Jade was just as happy as her father in the image.

“What do you want to drink? Vega?” Tori glanced up to see Jade looking at her through narrowed eyes. “What are you doing?”

“Waiting?” Tori tried with a shrug. Jade was across the room and shouldering Tori out of the way. Her eyes locked onto the screen and Tori saw something unreadable pass through those greenish blue depths.Tori waited for her reaction with bated breath.

“What did you say you wanted to drink?” Jade asked after a long moment, tone clipped. Tori frowned.

“Jade, you’ve known me for half a year.”

“Point?” Tori rolled her eyes.

“You know I don’t drink.”

“Oh, right.” Jade paused, cocked her head from side to side as if she was debating something before she pulled two bottles of wine from the drawer. “But there’s a first time for everything and I don’t drink alone, so come on.” Tori’s heart sped up with a touch of panic, but nonetheless followed Jade out of the office. The dark haired girl handed Tori the bottles and turned to slip her lock picks back into the office door. Another click sounded, and Jade yanked one of the bottles out of Tori’s hand and turned to the door across the hall, this time pulling out a key.

“Jade…” Tori tried while following the girl through a door and up the stairway that was behind, but Jade either did not hear her or ignored her. When they reached the top of the stairs and Jade flicked on the lights, it was like entering an entirely different house.

Forest green and black were mottled together on the walls which were covered here and there by posters for movies and bands that Tori only vaguely recognized. Shelves were doted here or there, covered in candles, skeletal knick knacks, and the occasional jar filled with things Tori knew she did not want to know about. A desk took up one corner, while a queen sized bed took up another with a door on the wall between them. The rest of the room was dominated by a fireplace of Jade’s own. This one was framed in a rich wood instead of stone, with a television occupying the wall above it.

“Wow,” Tori said, jaw hanging limp. It was an impressive living space, and every corner of it echoed with Jade’s personality.

“It’s alright.” While Tori had studied the room, Jade had found a corkscrew and opened up the first bottle of wine. The flutter of panic returned to Tori. “Bring the glasses?” On auto pilot, Tori crossed the room and set the second bottle and both glasses down on Jade’s desk. Jade upended the bottle over the cups, spilling the deep burgundy liquid halfway up each. She grabbed one for herself and pushed the second toward Tori while taking a long sip complete with a pleased groan.

Tori eyed her glass with no small amount of trepidation. It was not like she had anything against people drinking, but her father had shown her all sorts of pictures that left her unsettled, and the one time that Trina came home drunk she had been grounded for _months_ , and her great uncle had died of liver failure, and everyone always acted so different, and it was the only time Daniel tried to do _things,_ and …

“Jesus Vega, you aren’t actually this much of a saint, are you?” Jade challenged with a scoff. “I already told you if you want me to _share_ ,” she spat out the word like a curse. “Then I’m not doing it sober. And I don’t drink alone.” She pushed the glass forward another inch, studded brow raised in challenge. Tori locked eyes with Jade, and realization dawned on her.

This was both a test and a way out. Tori knew that Jade knew she did not drink, and Jade knew that Tori knew that. So by pushing it so much as the only stipulation, Jade was forcing Tori to choose between either pushing Jade or pushing herself. It was stupid, immature, and typical Jade and Tori knew exactly what the right choice would be.

But she reached for the glass anyway.

She never took her eyes off Jade, and felt a small sense of victory as the girl’s face fell the slightest bit when the tart liquid hit Tori’s tongue. Tori finished her sip and licked her lips, finding the drink to be not at all unpleasant. With a hum and a nod, she placed her free hand on her hip and flicked her eyebrows up and down at Jade, returning the challenge.

“So, talk.” Jade grunted, downed her glass in three long gulps and yanked the bottle from the desk before stomping over to the couch in front of the fireplace and plopping down on it with a quiet thud. Tori followed her over, though was much more gracious in her movements.

A long silence fell between them, in which Tori finished her first glass and was well through her second, and Jade managed to get most of the way through a fourth. It was only when Tori held a hand in front of her own face and studied her wiggling fingers through squinted eyes while wondering how it could feel like it was moving faster while looking like it was moving slower that Jade finally started to talk.

“What do you want to know?”

“Whatever’s on your mind.”

“That this is stupid and I don’t like you and I shouldn’t be doing this.” There was no heat in her voice, however.

“You shouldn’t lie to yourself like that,” Tori teased, not the least bit insulted . Jade snorted and took another gulp of wine.

“You’re the most stubborn person I’ve ever met, Vega.”

Tori frowned, sipping at her wine. “Why don’t you ever call me Tori? I know you have to like me more than Trina, and you call her Trina.”

Jade shrugged. “It annoys you.”

“Is there a reason you always have to annoy me?” Tori asked, pouting. Jade smirked.

“ _Well golly gee_ ,” Tori groaned at Jade’s “impersonation” of her. “ _I don’t know what else I can do to show how much I care!_ ”

“So you admit to caring!” Jade just rolled her eyes and shook the bottle. The bottom sloshed a bit, and Jade unceremoniously refilled Tori’s cup before running to get the second bottle.

“You’re…entertaining,” Jade said when she returned. “Kind of like a dumb pet.”

“Well, thanks for that.” Tori grumped, taking another drink of wine. It tasted better with each drink. She swirled her glass, enjoying the light playing off the red liquid. And she was not feeling all that different, really…

“We’ve barely spent any time alone together since Yerba.” Jade blurted out. Tori blinked, confused.

“We’re alone right now?” She asked more than said, looking around the room.

“Not you, Beck.” Tori’s eyes widened in realization. Beck, right. That’s what she meant to find out about.

“Why?”

“I don’t know!” Jade flopped back, some wine spilling over her glass and staining her shirt, but she did not seem to notice. “Every time I try to make plans he has something comes up, and if I do manage to get the _slightest_ bit of time alone with him outside of school, we always fight about the stupidest crap…” She brought her glass to her lips again and drained its contents. Tori had the fleeting feeling that the other girl should slow down, but did not want to risk stopping the other girl’s tirade.

She figured Jade could use a chance to let it all out, for a change.

“You guys seem so normal at school, though.” Tori wracked her brain, but could not think of any time the couple had not acted all couple-y.

“We go to a school for acting, Vega.” Jade said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “And we just sort of go with the flow in public. We’ve never done that before. I mean, you know how it usually gets between us.”

“Loud, painful, and usually awkward for the rest of us.” Tori counted each off on her free fingers, holding the hand up to Jade once she had finished. The green-blue eyed girl swatted it away with a light smack.

“The point is that whatever is happening isn’t normal.”

“And it scares you.”

“I don’t get scared.” Jade snapped with alight glare.

“And it worries you,” Tori corrected, tipping her now empty glass in acknowledgement. Jade nodded, crossing one of her arms over her eyes.

“I was planning on going to his place last night, but, well…” Tori grimaced.

“Sorry about that,” Tori said, guilt blooming in her tummy.

“Don’t be,” Jade waved her off. She looked at the second bottle of wine with a calculating gaze, but placed it on the floor without pouring another glass. “I gave him a chance to get me alone tonight, but he blew me off. I’m done trying to be the one to get things right, and I’m done pretending everything’s okay,” Jade declared with a sharp nod. “If he wants to get things right, it’s up to him to make the first move now.”

Tori’s stomach dropped. Beck was a lot of things, but assertive was not one of them. She wondered, for just a small moment, if her presence here had just caused an undeniable shift in Jade and Beck’s relationship.

She really hoped it did not.

“You know what I’ve missed most, though?” Jade said, finger circling the rim of her wine glass. Tori was entranced as the digit moved with an echoing ring, and tried to replicate the gesture with limited success. Jade just chuckled at her antics.

“What do you miss most?” Tori asked, giving up on trying to make her glass ring. Jade sighed.

“This probably makes me a terrible person, but I miss being _with_ him, you know? I can handle the silence, but I miss _him_.” Jade’s words echoed in Tori’s mind for a few seconds before they registered. When they did, she blushed redder than Cat’s hair. She blamed her obvious reaction on the wine.

“I-I’m sorry?” Tori had absolutely no idea how to respond to that. Jade shot her an incredulous look.

“This is girl talk, right? I always tuned it out whenever Cat tried it before…” Tori nodded mutely. “Then why are you so…?” Jade’s eyes lit up with mirth and realization, and Tori knew the tease was coming before Jade even opened her mouth. “Oh wow, Vega, are you still—“

“Can we talk about _anything_ else? Please?” She refused to meet Jade’s eyes.

“You’re boring,” Jade sighed.

“So put on a movie or something.”

“I only have horror. You hate horror.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Tori felt her blush recede as the switched topics. “Put on _The Scissoring_ or something.” Jade’s eyebrow rose, surprised.

“I don’t think you can handle it.”

Tori jutted her chin. “Try me.” Jade sighed and shrugged, and within a minute had her favorite on screen.

Five minutes after that, Tori’s eyes grew heavy, and the world faded away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Congratulations, you've survived chapter 3! We got a little more face time with the rest of the cast before moving into some good old fashioned Jori bantered goodness. Things should start to speed up from here as I think I've managed to lay the groundwork for later plots. The major points you need to know so far (Though I probably don't need to list them):
> 
> Tori's parents are having marital issues and Trina is avoiding the problem, leaving Tori alone in dealing with it - Jade knows that feel - Does Andre have feelings for Tori or not? Jade thinks so, Tori does not - Beck and Jade are in a weird place and Tori does not know if she's a positive or negative influence - All this happened over two days.
> 
> Those, combined with some other random thoughts I've got banging around in my head, should last us quite some time. We'll be picking up the pace soon, so expect small time skips (like, weeks max) rather than just following along every second. In either case, maybe Jade and Tori will look back on this as the weekend that changed everything?
> 
> Maybe, maybe not.


	4. Breaking Habits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on FFN. Crossposted to AO3 2/10/2016

It was something squeezing her thigh and nuzzling against her stomach that woke Jade that morning. Considering she was fairly sure she was supposed to be annoyed at Beck right now, it did not sit well with her.

“Not now, asshole,” she said in her husky morning voice. She tried to roll over, only to realize she was not lying down. In a slow, deliberate motion, Jade leaned her head from side to side, trying to surface the memories from the night before. The memories came flooding back, and Jade was glad she had not gotten so drunk as to forget the events of the night before.

Sure enough, she looked down to find a puddle of brunette hair strewn about her lap, haloing the peaceful face of her friend slash enemy, Tori Vega. Vega had one of her arms hugging Jade’s thigh like a teddy bear while her face nuzzled into Jade’s bellybutton. Under normal circumstances Jade would have found this annoying, but as Vega mumbled under her breath, she could not help but smile.

Vega looked kind of cute all vulnerable like this. Still, waking up next to this girl two days in a row was two days too much, Jade thought.

“Vega,” she muttered, pushing against the Latina clinging to her. Vega only frowned in her sleep, eyebrows furrowing and arms wrapping tighter around Jade’s leg while the girl nuzzled her head lower against Jade.

“Vega,” she tried again, this time poking the girl’s shoulder. Vega shied away from the contact, sending her head far more south than Jade was comfortable with. Just as Vega’s face was about to get dangerously close to Jade’s crotch, the writer jumped off the couch. Vega was sent sprawling to the floor.

“I’ll fight back!” Vega yelled as she was roused from her sleep. She sat up on the floor, fists held at the ready as she searched to and fro for the enemy from her dream. Jade cracked a grin at the half-Latina’s confused pout. It was almost adorable.

“Relax Vega, you’re safe with me.” Jade said, keeping her sarcasm held back to a reasonable degree. Vega looked at her like she was an alien in Roswell before her brain caught up to her.

“I said some embarrassing things last night, didn’t I?” Vega deduced, holding a delicate hand up to her forehead and massaging her temples. Jade had to grin, knowing the effect even the smallest of hangovers had to seem huge to the uninitiated.

“Oh, nothing much, really,” Jade said, letting a teasing tilt enter her voice. “Just a few things about your undying love and overall experience with the more rugged of genders.” Vega’s eyes flew wide open, and Jade could not hold back from giggling at Vega’s expense.

“What did I say?” Vega asked , drawing out the question with glazed over eyes. She was clearly trying to remember for herself.

“Oh, things,” Jade said, keeping it vague. She wore a wicked smirk as Vega screwed up her face in concentration. Sometimes this sort of thing was far too easy.

“I don’t remember saying anything…about anything.” Tori said at length. She picked herself off the ground and stretched. Jade found her eyes lingering on Vega’s exposed stomach longer than what was necessarily appropriate. She shook her head and continued to taunt the Latina.

“You only had an entire bottle of wine on your own.” Jade snorted as Vega’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. The girl was far too innocent for her own good.

“I did _not_.” Vega said, picking up the remaining half bottle of alcoholic grape juice to inspect. She swirled it around with a frown, glaring at the contents as if it betrayed her. “You helped,” she accused, and Jade just shrugged in response. She leaned back, arcing her aching back and neck muscles, and heard a satisfying series of cracks along her spine. Sleeping upright was usually a terrible idea, and her soreness proved it.

“I may have,” Jade allowed, heading for her closet. “But I did not get _nearly_ as drunk as you did.”

“You took advantage of me!” Tori accused, hands on her hips. Jade raised an inquisitive brow, wondering if the Latina really wanted to go down that road.

“How so?” She prompted, pulling out a casual outfit for the day.

“Well…I…” Vega was at a loss and Jade considered that a small victory. She tossed the girl some clothes with a superior grin.

“Consider us even,” she said, digging back into her closet. Tori harrumphed, but headed for the bathroom with the clothes Jade had given her.

“I don’t think I can pull off black,” Tori whined. Jade rolled her eyes and slammed the bathroom door shut.

“Like you have any trouble looking good in anything!” She complained through the door. It was one of the things that Jade disliked most about Vega. The girl could pull off nearly any look without really trying.

“I don’t _do_ black!” The half-Latina countered right back. Jade rolled her eyes and ignored her guest. It was not like Vega would have to go to school in an outfit that made her feel judged. That was a realm only Jade was exposed to by wearing Vega’s overly tight clothes to school the previous day. God forbid Vega experience some minor embarrassment by wearing Jade’s clothes just because they were _black_. The writer rolled her eyes. It would be good for the naïve Vega to receive a life lesson or two.

“Well, just suck it up,” she said to the closed bathroom door. Vega emerged a moment later, running her hands down the all black ensemble with a tight frown. Jade cocked her head to the side, and judged that Vega pulled off the outfit well. Not as well as she did, of course, but well enough to attract a stare or two.

“How do I look?” Vega asked, running her hands through her chestnut hair, wincing as she worked through a series of knots.

“Passable,” Jade declared, and moved toward the bathroom so that she could get ready for the day.

“That’s it?” Jade could hear the pout in Vega’s voice and smirked. The girl was such an easy mark.

“More than enough to catch Andre’s attention,” she teased, and shut the bathroom door before Vega could register her words.

“He does _not_ like me in that way!” Vega declared, a vehement denial clear in her tone. Jade rolled her eyes and stripped out of the previous days clothes. She took a moment to stretch, reveling in the brief moment of freedom, before she dressed in fresh clothes. When she returned to her room, she found Vega pouting and looking at her phone while biting her lower lip.

“What’s up?” She asked, only half interested in the answer. She plopped down on the other half of the couch, feeling the echoing tendrils of a burgeoning hangover fade from her mind.

“It’s Andre,” Tori said, scrolling and tapping against the smart phone’s screen. Jade snickered and Vega sent her a withering look. “Nothing like that,” she said, sticking out her tongue for half a second. Jade clicked her teeth together and Vega’s tongue disappeared back into her mouth quick as can be. She smirked.

“Then what’s so interesting that you’re staring at your phone like it’s the second coming?” Tori rolled her eyes, but still responded.

“Apparently Robbie and Beck got _really_ drunk last night.” Jade raised a single eyebrow to show her interest. Beck rarely went beyond his normal tolerance, and she assumed he was taking the rift between them as badly as she was. And Robbie, well, Robbie was always entertaining at the very least.

“I’m not really sure what happened, but there was a lot of dancing and singing involved. Cat and Andre spent most of the night trying to keep them from embarrassing themselves,” Vega held her phone closer to her eyes, face scrunching up. “And, apparently, it didn’t go so well.”

“Details?”

Tori chuckled. “Something about forming a dance circle and trying to breakdance. Robbie needed three stitches and Beck almost broke his neck.” Tori shook her head and pocketed her phone. “I’m kind of glad we didn’t go.”

“You think?” Jade said with a snicker, then sighed. “I guess I should make sure Beck is alive and well.” She pulled out her own phone, fingers hesitant at tapping at the screen.

“I thought you said you were going to make him make the first move?” Jade paused, half impressed that the Latina remembered their conversation, and half wondering whether her drunken resolve should crossover into the real world.

“You’re right,” Jade drawled after a long moment of self debate. She threw her phone onto her bed across the room and crossed her arms, determined not to give into habit and text her boyfriend. Hungover or not, she knew Beck, and the boy would be waking up within the next hour or so. It usually did not take him that long to text her in the morning, even when they were fighting.

“So, what should we do?” Vega asked, tapping her fingers along her leg. Jade watched the Latina girl’s motions for a long moment before she could think of a reply.

“Do something awesome?” She suggested. Tori just rolled her eyes with a playful smile.

“And what do you think is awesome enough to do?”

“It’s not my job to come up with things, Vega, you think of something.” Jade bantered back. Vega tapped a delicate finger against her chin, tongue stuck out slightly in contemplation.

“Mini golf?” A silence hung in the air as Jade stared at the half Latina with a vague look of disbelief.

“That’s the best you could come up with? Really? I am so disappointed in you, Vega.”

“What?” Vega defended, arms crossing beneath her modest chest, “Mini golf is fun!”

“If you’re four. Or forty,” Jade retorted. She played with a loose strand of her green extensions, stray thoughts of what color to go with next crossing her mind. “But I assume you’ve already texted lover boy and the others?” Tori gave her a half-hearted glare but nodded.

“Andre said he’d already made plans with the others and was just waiting for us.”

“Of _course_ he did!” Jade said, throwing a knowing smirk at the other girl. Vega just sighed.

“He’s been trying to get everyone to hang out more lately,” Vega continued to explain. “For the past few weeks, he’s been constantly trying to make plans with everyone.”

“I’ve noticed,” Jade drawled. Every Friday for the past month, Andre would come up with something for them to do as a group. Considering it was the closest she came to a date with Beck in that time, she did not mind it. Still, she sensed an opportunity. “He should just grow a pair and ask you out on his own.”

Jade smirked as Tori let out a huff of air and shot her an exasperated look. It was far too easy to push the girl’s buttons.

“Why do you have to keep doing that?”

“Seeing you flustered entertains me.”

“You’re evil,” Vega accused, fingers massaging her temples.

“I thought you would have gotten the hint by now.” Jade shrugged and stretched, ridding herself of the lingering remnants of her would-be hangover.

“What if he does?” Vega’s face was hidden by her hands and her voice was muffled behind them.

“What if who does what?”

“Andre, what if he does like me? Like _that_.” When the Latina looked up, Jade could tell that her mind was racing. She was apparently actually freaking out about this.

“Then you go out with him, have fun, make out, sleep with him? You know, normal things.”

“But I _don’t_ like him like that!” She implored, eyes wide and hand finding its way onto Jade’s shoulder.

“Why not?” Vega looked taken aback, and Jade had to admit it was probably not the most tactful of questions for the situation. _Well, in for a penny_. “He’s much better than Ryder or Steven.” Now that she thought about it, Jade realized Vega had a horrible taste in boys.

“I know! But I just…don’t.” Vega hugged herself again, looking truly upset. Jade let out a sigh and slid closer to the Latina. Not close enough to touch, but just close enough to show…something. “Does that make me a bad person?” She asked in a whisper. Despite herself, Jade reached over a hand and rubbed Vega’s upper back in a comforting gesture.

This whole thing left a sour taste in her mouth. “Not a bad person,” Jade assured. “We can’t help what we feel.” She sighed, mind drifting back to Beck and the current mess they were in.

“So what do I do?”

Jade shrugged. “Be honest? I don’t really know. Never been in a situation where I’ve had to say no.” Jade almost felt bad for the girl. Vega never wanted to upset anyone, and there was no way to get out of this without some tears or hurt.

“I should have just said we were busy.” Tori sounded on the verge of tears

“They would have assumed I killed you and hid the body,” Jade countered, dry as she could. Vega let out a hiccup of a giggle.

“I could see them rushing over in a panic,” she said without raising her head.

“Cat would be terrified and Robbie would let Rex make all sorts of snide comments…”

“Beck would try to talk you down and Andre would act like the bad cop,” Tori broke down to a fit of giggles and Jade could not help but join her. Something about the girl put her at east.

Not that she would ever admit that out loud.

\---

They pulled outside the mini golf course an hour later when Vega had collected herself and said she was ready to deal with the situation. Considering she was shaking in the seat next to Jade, she had her doubts that Vega would be able to handle it on her own.

“We could always blow this off,” Jade said, eyes trained on their four friends waiting for them, putters already in hand. She met Beck’s eyes for half a second before focusing her attention on her passenger. “You don’t have to deal with this now.”

“I _have_ to deal with this,” she snapped back, and Jade curled her lip in annoyance. “Everything was fine and _normal_ until you brought it up.”

“Just pointing out the obvious,” Jade said, snippy. “Better you know than lead him on like you have been.”

“I have _not_ been leading him on.” Vega was pissed off now, turning her entire body toward Jade with a heated glare in her cinnamon eyes. Her chest heaved with annoyed breaths and her fists were clenched against her legs. Jade’s eyebrows rose and a small smirk quirked on her lips. She had never seen Vega truly made before, and found the sight… enticing.

“Not on purpose,” she said, cutting her engine.

“Why do you even care?” Jade rolled her eyes. Vega had gone around to the defensive side again.

“Now that you mention it,” she said while leaving the car. “I really don’t.” She shut her door and walked in the direction of the others.

“You’re the one who brought it up in the first place!” Vega shouted after her, slamming her door. Jade cringed at the sound, and only avoided throttling Vega because she figured it was her fault the singer was as riled up as she was.

“Calm down,” she drawled back, calm as can be. Vega turned to their friends, who looked apprehensive at the two of them, and back to Jade before she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She seemed to gather herself before her eyes fluttered back open. Without another word she strode past Jade, a smile lighting up her features while she greeted her friends with an enthusiastic wave.

If nothing else, Vega was a decent actress.

“Tori! Hi!” Cat shouted, bouncing toward the Latina and wrapping her in a hug. The redhead pulled away, a look of confusion on her naïve face. “Why do you smell like Jade?” Vega blushed, and Jade snickered.

“Oh, I sort of spent the night at her place and had to borrow her clothes this morning,” Vega explained. Silence followed her statement as each one of them processed that information. Andre looked back and forth between her and Vega with his eyebrows disappearing into his hairline. Cat was nodding her understanding, looking Tori up and down with dawning comprehension. Robbie, though, had his eyes glazed over with a slight smirk, though whether he was fantasizing or just loopy because of his broken head she did not know

Beck though, Beck was studying her with a deep frown.

“What?” She asked, heat in her voice. The other four of them jumped at the sharpness in her tone, but Beck just shook his head.

“So I, er, I heard things got pretty crazy last night?” Tori said in the awkward silence that followed. Robbie’s hand shot up to the bandages covering half his forehead and Beck rubbed the side of his neck with a slight grimace.

“Idiot one and idiot two here challenged a couple of the kids from the dance team to a break dancing challenge,” Andre said, looking half torn between amusement and irritation.

“We did okay,” Beck said.

“You tried going back and forth while playing hot potato with Rex,” Andre deadpanned.

“Poor Rex, I hope he’s okay…” Robbie said with his head hung. Jade realized with a small sense of relief that the annoying puppet was nowhere in sight. Cat reached up to rub a comforting hand along his back before talking.

“The repair m—“

“Doctor!” Andre interrupted, his eyes going wide. Cat’s mouth formed a soundless ‘o.’

“Oh, right!” The redhead said. “The _doctor_ ,” she giggled. “Said that Rex would be fine in a few days.” Robbie seemed to miss Cat’s telltale sign of lying and just leaned back against her. Jade turned up her nose at the sight. What right did those two have for being so cute at a time like this?

“Right…” Tori said. “Anyway, who’s ready for some mini golf?” She clapped her hands and gave them all an expectant look. Cat cheered, Robbie clapped, and Andre gave a halfhearted pat to her back. She looked disappointed by Jade and Beck’s lack of reaction.

“Woo.” Jade let her voice drip with just how excited she was. Vega rolled her eyes but pushed onwards.

“Where do we start?”

“Over by that guy,” Andre said, pointing to a rotund man wearing an obnoxious yellow suit standing next to a booth lined with putters of every color of the rainbow. Jade fell in step behind the others with slow, reluctant steps. With each she remembered that she would rather be just about anywhere than here.

“Hey Mr. Nichols, we’re ready to go!” Cat declared, swinging her putter back and forth. The man gave her a tight smile.

“I’m afraid there’s a four person per party limit kids.” Jade perked up, a silver lining shining against the clouds.

“What? Why?” The old man wrung his hands and looked between them, a slight sheen of sweat appearing on his brow.

“Larger groups have been taking too much time. Holding up the other customers, you understand.” Jade suppressed a snort. She might have believed the man if there were more than three cars in the lot.

“But there’s like nobody else here!” Tori observed, waving an arm toward the empty lot.

“Rules are rules, miss.”

“Man, this is pure chizz.”

“You can make an exception!”

“This is so unfair!”

“Can’t you just let us go, please?” With each of her friends’ arguments, the man backed further and further into the stall. Jade shook her head, was he really afraid of them?

“It’s alright!” Jade shouted during a lull of their arguments. Six curious faces turned to her. “Beck and I’ll just sit this one out, guys.” She was nothing if not resourceful.

“But…I’ve already got a club,” Beck said, holding up the offending hunk of metal. Jade glared at him, teeth mashing.

“Give it to Vega.” She was proud at how even she managed to keep her voice. A drawn out second passed before Beck slowly handed over his club to the Latina. Vega was reluctant, but took the offered equipment without argument.

“Come on guys.” Vega tried to sound cheery, but the worry in her voice was clear. Jade ignored the girl’s gaze she could feel burning into her and kept staring down Beck.

“We…could do something else?” Andre suggested, but Jade saw Vega tug him forward. Jade noted that she owed the girl one as Robbie and Cat filed behind her and Andre.

“So,” Beck said once the group was out of earshot. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and waited for her to start.

“So.” Jade matched him, crossing her arms under her chest and digging her feet in. She refused to be out-stubborned by boy.

Agonizing seconds of silence ticked by, but neither one of them budged.

“Well, this is awkward…” Both she and Beck turned to glare at the mini gold proprietor, who buckled under their combined gaze. The man actually _whimpered_.

“Let’s just…walk,” Beck said, holding out a hand. Instinct acted before she could think about it and she reached out to meet it, their fingers intertwining. His skin was cool to his touch and his grip was familiar. Comforting, even. Yet it did nothing to improve her mood as they fell in step with each other.

They stayed quiet as they meandered along the sidewalk outside the course, dodging the odd passerby or two. Jade forced her mind to stay focused on the moment and not the endless possibilities that could be racing through her boyfriend’s mind. With every sidelong glance that showed Beck’s impassive expression unmoved, though, she got closer and closer to snapping.

“So…how was night two of your “illicit love affair”?” Relief crashed through her when Beck finally broke the silence moments before she gave in, but Jade hated that she could not gauge what he was feeling through his indifferent tone. He had an ability to fall back into that neutrality whenever he wanted, and it never failed to annoy her.

“Less weepy than the first, “she said with a frown.

“Since when are you two so close?”

“We’re not.” Her response was immediate and out of habit, and Jade clenched her free hand before continuing. “Well, we weren’t.” Beck’s eyebrows shot up so far they disappeared beneath his hair. “Why, jealous?”

Beck shook his head, eyes still locked in front of them. “Nope. I’m just curious why you’re suddenly hanging out with her so much.”

“So much? It’s happened twice.”

“Two nights in a row,” he countered. “You don’t even have enough patience to stay with _anyone_ two nights in a row.”

“I can think of one person,” Jade taunted. “But lately he doesn’t want anything to do with me.” Beck’s lips drew back into a light grimace.

“Jade…” He let loose a sigh and his free hand ran through his hair. He was using his placating voice. She _hated_ his placating tone.

“Don’t ‘ _Jade_ ’ me!” She snapped, ripping her hand from his and stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. She drew odd looks from the people moving around them and Beck looked uncomfortable, but she was not done. “I want to know why it’s so hard to get my boyfriend of _three_ years to myself.”

“Can we not do this here?” He looked around them, offering a pained smile whenever he met some idiot’s eyes.

“We’re doing this now.” Jade put the full weight of her authority behind the statement. For better or worse, she did not want to play around anymore.

“Why do you suddenly want to talk about this?”

“Because I’m tired of pretending!” She snapped taking a step forward. Beck backtracked and leaned against a low wall behind him.

“Pretending what?”

Jade advanced on the boy until there was no room left between them. “That we get along during school? Every single day you and I acted normal and I thought everything was okay. That we were getting better. As soon as the last bell rang, though, I had to face the fact that we were only _acting_ normal, and that _hurts_!” Jade shouted, letting it all go. “It isn’t fair to either of us to pretend everything’s fine when it’s obviously not.”

“I didn’t think it would have tha big of an effect on you,” Beck said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Well it did,” Jade deadpanned. “Every single fucking day, I thought we were going back to our status quo. But no, you were just letting me rant at an empty wall while you pretended to be in a relationship.” Beck had no answer.

“What do you want from me, Jade?” He closed his eyes and sighed.

Jade did not hesitate. “The truth,” she said, preparing herself to hear the news she desperately wanted to avoid.

Beck’s eyes snapped open, shining with a determination she had not seen since before Yerba. “You don’t open up anymore,” he started, counting off on his fingers. “You never let anyone else in, you don’t let anyone try to help you with your problems, you don’t admit to any of your weaknesses, and you let yourself wallow in your own misery when things don’t go your way.”

“I say whatever needs saying,” Jade defended, curling her arms against her stomach and shrinking away from her boyfriend.

“Really?” He asked, advancing a step toward her. Jade held her ground, refusing to give another inch in this argument. “Then how do you feel about your mother visiting this afternoon?”

Despite her determination, Jade took a stride back. The boy did not revel in his victory, but stepped forward to grab one of her wrists in his own. She yanked it free.

“How did you know that?” She kept her voice calm, but let a dangerous edge slip in. Beck knew better than to second guess that tone.

“I might have talked to your father the other day,” he admitted. Jade set her jaw. That was a step too far. “That’s the thing, though.” He said before she could rip into him. “I had to find out things about you through him.”

“So because I don’t tell you my life’s story every day you’ve been avoiding me?” She set aside her anger about him talking to her father for the moment to try and make sense of the situation.

“We’ve been avoiding each other.” He claimed with sadness in his eyes, dodging the claim. Jade looked away and took a pair of deep, calming breaths. It did not work.

“Then explain last night,” she demanded, nostrils flaring.

“Explain the night before,” he countered without hesitation, and a bit of heat laced his words.

“What? I already told you!”

“You were with Tori,” he acknowledged. “But you never said what you were doing.”

“Sikowitz’s stupid project!”

“So that’s what was more important than fixing our relationship.”

“What?” Jade was taken aback by the accusation. “No!”

“Then what was?” Beck’s calm façade was gone, replaced with a fidgety anger.

“Vega…” Jade hesitated. “It’s not my place to say anything.” Beck scoffed and Jade glared. “Do you really think I would let something not important keep me at _Vega’s_?” Some tension left Beck’s stance.

“You’re right.” He ran a hand through his hair. “But I would…” He said the words as if he had come to a grand realization.

“Stay at Vega’s? Beck blinked and shook his head.

“No. Let something stupid get in the way.” He took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and Jade could see the rest of the tension bleed out of him. “Look, I’m sorry about last night.” His eyes locked to hers and she could see countless emotions flitter through their depths. “I really am. But we have to figure this,” he gestured between them, “out.”

“When did it get so hard?” She searched the boy’s face for answers and found none.

“Yerba.” Beck said it with a calm assurance. She felt her heart skip a beat. Her ‘sharing’ with Vega leapt to the forefront of her mind.

“I really wish we’d never gone.” Beck laughed a humorless chuckle. _Then everything would be normal, and we wouldn’t be…this_ , she thought.

“But we did, and we almost died.” It came out as a whisper that she barely heard, but the words struck her at the very core. All of them had been eager to put everything that happened on the island behind them and get back to the way things were, but it was not easy. She still sometimes wondered what would have happened had Tori not intervened with the behemoth.

She shuddered at the thought.

“You’d think we’d get closer after that…” She was dodging the point they both knew was there, but she wanted Beck to be the one to say it.

“Well, we did.” She gave him an incredulous stare. “As a group, I mean.” Jade allowed the point. They spent most of their free time together in one variation of another. “Even you and Tori have been getting along.”

“That’s only been the past two days,” Jade said, but Beck shook his head.

“No, you two would still always fight and stuff, but it was never _mean_ like it used to be.” Jade frowned. She thought it had been par for the course with Vega. In any case, though, Beck was building up to something.

“Get to the point, Beck.” He took a breath and seemed to psych himself up.

“The point,” he said, clasping his hands together. “Is that we all had a _lot_ of time to think while we were locked up. Between dodging rocks and trying not to wazz off the inmates that is.” Jade nodded, acknowledging the point. “Rob‘s the one that helped me put it all together, actually.”

“Explain.”

“We were talking on the flight back.” Jade remembered seeing the two together and whispering from what little time she was awake on the trip home. “He said that that was the most scared he had ever been in his entire life.”

“Big shock there,” Jade deadpanned. They were all terrified.

“Let me finish,” he said with a crease in his brow. Jade shrugged. “But he said that the only thing that kept him together was thinking about what he would do if he made it out of there.”

“Let me guess,” Jade interrupted. “Something to do with Cat.” Beck nodded.

“It’s more than that though. He told me that he tried to think about the things he wanted most in the world, and the only thing he could think of was confessing to her.”

“Which explains why he’s been extra creepy lately,” she joked.

“Jade, stop it.” He was glaring at her with an intensity that shocked her. “Robbie’s not the smoothest of dudes, but he’s at least trying. And Cat likes him too, I think.”

“She does,” Jade acknowledged, and Beck’s expression lightened.

“Good,” he sighed again. She was starting to hate that sound.

“That’s all romantic and crap, but what does this have to do with _us_?”

“Everything.” _Gee, that’s helpful Beck_. He continued before she could say anything. “It made me really think about what I thought about in there.”

“Just say it,” she all but growled. Beck avoiding instigating confrontation was par for the course, but this was just aggravating her.

“I thought about the future too…” He was looking away from her again, and dread bloomed in the very depths of her heart. “And everything was different. _We_ were different.”

“Different how?” Her heart pounded against her chest and the world narrowed down to the boy in front of her. He lifted his eyes to hers, and she knew what was coming.

“We were happy, laughing, and we didn’t fight so much anymore.” _Or not_ , she took a breath to calm her growing panic.

“How does that make you avoid being alone with me for a month?” She asked, hating that her voice quaked in the slightest bit. “I’m happiest when I’m with you, and we can work on the fighting…” She trailed off as Beck’s eyes grew sadder with each word she said.

“That’s what I thought too.” He closed his eyes for a long second. Jade was surprised to find them wet when they opened again. “What did you think about? In Yerba.”

What had she? There was nothing special as far as she could remember. “I just wanted to get out,” she said. “I wanted to get back home and get back to normal.” Beck smiled then, but there was no joy behind it.

“That’s all you ever wanted. Things to stay the same.” His eyes glazed over, lost in some memory. Jade bristled and hugged herself. She did not like looking back at the best of times, and now was _not_ the best of times.

“Beck…”

“When Robbie told me the only thing he wanted was to be together with Cat, I realized that with everything I thought about us in the future, I never once pictured us _together_.” Jade’s breath hitched and the world came to a screeching halt. A stray tear or two leaked from Beck’s eyes. “I’ve spent the last month trying to deny it. I acted normal as I could, but it wasn’t working and it isn’t fair to either of us.”

She started shaking her head but was unable to form. Beck swiped at his eyes with a sleeve.

“It isn’t fair,” he repeated. “We’ve been together forever, and I’m terrified of changing that.”

“Then don’t.” The words came out choked, but Jade refused to cry.

“But I _have_ to, for both of us. I love you, Jade. Just not the way I used to.” The words echoed in her brain but refused to register. “And I think you feel the same.”

“No.” Jade shocked herself with how calm it came out. “You don’t get to do this.” They had broken up before. More than once, even, but it had never felt like this.

“I am.” Beck’s voice was low, but adamant. “I’m sorry, but we’re…” He took a deep breath and forced the words out. “We’re done.”

Jade set her jaw even as a hammer slammed into her chest and a familiar feeling stung the back of her eyes. She spun on her heel and marched away from Beck. Away from three years of history. Away from the only thing in the world she was absolutely sure about.

Or at least, she had thought so.

Beck did not follow her, and she thought she was grateful for that. Emotions, thoughts, hopes. They all passed through her mind faster than she could comprehend them. The only thing she knew was that she had to get _away_. Jade did not slow down until her car came into view, and that was only to make sure she could find her keys in the mess of her bag.

“Jade! Jade! I got a hole in one!” Cat’s excited squeal sounded across the lot and Jade turned to find the group of four returning the supplies to the cowardly club keeper. Robbie was grinning at the redhead like an idiot and another hammer hit her behind the ribs.

She turned and ran for her car, panic bubbling up. _Away_ , she thought, and it was the only thought in her head. She got into her car and drove off before any of the others could even think about stopping her.

\---

It was a great relief to Jade that the only other car in her driveway was her father’s. Dealing with her mother on top of everything else right now would push her over the edge and she would be liable to hurt someone. Jade killed the engine and glanced at her reflection in the rear view.

She supposed it should have worried her how blank her face was.

Satisfied that she did not look like she felt, she made for her sanctuary at a quick pace that was not quick enough to raise any eyebrows. She made it through the front entrance, and a small sigh escaped her when her father was nowhere in sight. In half a dozen quick strides she was in front of her door, key finding its place in a practiced motion.

She let out a shaky breath as the door opened. She was almost safe.

“Jade?” She froze halfway through the threshold and considered rushing in and slamming the door behind her. Instead, she turned around to find her father in the doorway to his office, flipping through a case file. He was decked out in his finest suit, and she had the fleeting thought that he probably had a case to go to. “Your mother will be here in an hour, and--” He cut himself off when he looked up, and concern took over his features. “Is everything all right?”

Jade reached up to find that her eyes were still dry. How did he know?

“Fine,” She managed, but winced as her voice quivered. _Damn it_ , she cursed herself.

“You know you can…talk to me.” Her father looked supremely uncomfortable as his eyes wandered to the wall beside her. “About anything. I can’t promise I’ll make it better, but…” He trailed off and reached up to adjust his tie. The Wests were never ones for sharing, but, for some reason, the image of his computer background flitted through her mind.

Her feet moved of their own will. _What am I doing?_ She wondered before wrapping her arms around her father’s middle. They did not do this lovey-dovey crap. Yet he returned the hug and held her tight for long, silent minutes. When she pulled away, she actually smiled at him.

 _I’m going insane_. She concluded when she turned around and walked to the stairs without saying a word. She shut the door gently for the first time in ages and locked it with a soft _click_. It was usually enough to deter her mother.

She made it to her room and flopped face down on her bed and tried to make sense of everything.

She felt it in her bones that she and Beck were truly done. Three long years where he had become the one constant she could rely on were over. Try as she might, she could not picture a world where she and Beck were not together. She could not even remember what she had been like before they had gotten together.

Her phone chimed and Jade’s heart skipped a beat. Various scenarios played through her mind, both exciting and terrifying, and she stared at the black screen for a half a minute before she clicked it on.

 _Beck told us. Is there anything I can do?_ Jade shook her head at how the world had just gotten turned on its head in the last hour. She and Beck were not together anymore, she had just _voluntarily_ showed affection to her father, and now fucking _Tori Vega_ was trying to comfort her.

It was so ridiculous that she started to laugh, which gave way to sobs a moment after. Jade West hated showing weakness, but at that moment there was nobody there to see.

She almost wished there was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Holy crap, plot! It always bothered me that there was so little fallout from Yerba on the show. I mean, I get that it's a Nick show so they can only do so much, but everyone bounced back so quickly. I imagine being stuck in a foreign prison with no way to be sure you'd get out would be enough to make anyone reassess their priorities, so I'm using that as one of my catalysts for change here. I think I made Beck's reasoning sound and in character for the most part, as well as Jade's reactions. I'd love to hear your thoughts on that though!
> 
> I want to reiterate that my goal with this story is to do justice to the characters, and that I'm not doing all of this willy nilly so that Jori can happen (though that is the end goal :D ),so I'm counting on you guys to tell me if I screw up too bad.
> 
> Oh, and another thought. How do you guys feel about the chapter length? Would you prefer chapters that are about half this length, but come out (slightly) quicker and cover less events, or do you like the longer chapters? Some of the more popular stories I see in this section are the ones that have 1-2k words per chapter, so I'm curious. Let me know!


	5. Mind Shattering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on FFN. Crossposted to AO3 2/10/2016

Tori leaned against her “Make it Shine” design and ignored every passerby as she stared at the scissor-covered locker that belonged to the girl who was fast becoming one of her closest friends. The girl had not been seen on campus in a week, and Jade never responded to any of Tori’s texts. Since the Hollywood Arts power couple of Jade and Beck broke up there had been an outpouring of support for Beck – mostly from the school’s female population – and Tori wondered if Jade had wanted to avoid that.

Even Andre, Robbie, and Cat avoided mentioning Jade around Beck, and Robbie was _always_ with the boy. With her avoiding being alone with Andre ever since the world’s most awkward game of mini golf, the only person she was able to talk to about Jade was Cat, who knew no more than she did. HA’s unique bell chime echoed through the halls, and she knew she would be late for class once again, but waiting for Jade to show up was worth it.

It was not to be, it seemed, as Jade refused to show up in the last five minutes Tori was willing to wait. With a frown that had been her constant companion for the last week, Tori drudged toward her first period classroom. Mr. Diggins would grumble about her being late, but she was too preoccupied to care about punishment.

She talked to Beck only briefly since the Great Mini Golf Debacle, and the details she had gleaned left her feeling anxious for Jade’s state of mind. She knew the other girl was willful, but, at the same time, vulnerable behind her strong front. Jade’s state after the last time the two broke up was vivid in her mind. Tori had considered going to Jade’s house every day, but each day she held back with the idea that Jade would hate her for trying to force the other girl’s hand.

That did not stop her from trying to come up with an excuse to show up at her friend’s house, however.

“So _glad_ you could join us, Tori.” Her Vocal Music teacher’s droll tone had no effect on the half Latina. They were only few weeks away from the end of the year and nothing any teacher could do would take away from the imminent promise of summer vacation, and the teacher’s knew it.

“Glad to be here,” Tori replied with a mock salute. Her teacher rolled his eyes but continued with his lesson as if he had not been disrupted. Tori made a valiant effort to pay attention to what he had to say, but every few minutes her mind would wander to the girl who had been the source of her greatest enjoyment and misery ever since finding her way to Hollywood Arts.

Jade had always been a pinnacle of strength and poise to her. No matter what seemed to happen to them - from whacky hijinks to serious situations - the black haired girl had always seemed well prepared to handle them. No matter what, Tori knew she admired Jade for that ability to shape any situation to her advantage.

The day Beck and Jade broke found its way back to the front of her thoughts. She remembered every detail about Jade’s mascara-drenched face and the desperation that had rolled off the girl in waves. It was the lowest Tori had ever seen Jade, but at least she _had_ seen the other girl. Tears she could handle, but the complete absence of her friend left Tori stranded without a clue which way to go.

The temptation just to show up at Jade’s house was growing stronger every day, but the thought of pushing Jade too far was keeping her. With one eye trained on her teacher lecturing at the blackboard, Tori slipped her phone from her pocket and typed up a quick text to the girl. She had already sent dozens over the last week, so what was one more?

A moment later her message was sent and she drummed her fingers on her desk. The student sitting next to her, a girl that had never given her the time of day, glared at her for making noise, but Tori just shrugged it off. She stared at the PearPhone, willing it to dance across the desk with a reply, but the class period went by without the slightest of twitches.

“You really wazz me off sometimes, Jade…” Tori muttered, shuffling out of the classroom behind her peers.

“Do I?” Tori near jumped out of her skin at the voice. She spun, hair, clothes, and bag whipping behind her, to find Jade leaning against the lockers outside the classroom. The girl looked amused at Tori’s reaction, a slight smile tugging at her lips and a bit of an amused glint in her eye.

“You’re here?” She asked; hand rubbing the spot over her racing heart. She hated that she was so easily scared.

“Not for long.” Jade looked from side to side then leaned in as if to share a secret “Your sister brought you this morning?” Tori nodded and a bright, mischievous grin grew on Jade’s face. “You up for a day trip, Vega?”

“What, you came in just so you could skip class?” Tori asked, eyebrow raised. Jade shrugged and twirled her keys around her finger.

“Wanted some company, thought you’d want to come.” Jade explained. She pushed off the wall she was leaning against and started striding towards the main entrance. She shot a look toward Tori over her shoulder. “You coming, or am I on my own?”

Against her better judgment, Tori found herself shuffling along behind the pushy girl. After disappearing for a week only to show up in order to get Tori to leave… Well, she was downright curious.

Jade did not say a word or look back at all during their walk out of the school building. Tori kept a nervous watch for a sudden appearance of Lane or the principal, but neither came across their path, and they reached Jade’s care uninterrupted. The mid-day sun glowed high in the sky, beating down the mid-May heat on Hollywood Arts with unrelenting fury, but Tori did not notice any of it.

The smile that lit up Jade’s face when she finally turned around when they reached her car drew all of her attention. It was a far cry from the mascara drenched image Tori had expected.

“Tori Vega the badass,” the pale girl teased. “Skipping class to go gallivanting around L.A with the local bitch.” Tori rolled her eyes and slid open the passenger side door. If Jade wanted to play the teasing game, she would have to try harder to get Tori to rise to the bait.

Five minutes later and they were off campus and stuck in the heavy noontime L.A traffic. Tori gave a sidelong look to her compatriot in school-rule-breaking, but Jade was tapping the steering wheel in tune with the music and looked to have no care in the world. Tori knew that none of their teachers would seriously look into their absence at this time of year, but she still could not match her friend’s nonchalance.

“So, what do you want to do?” Tori asked, shifting around and trying to feel comfortable

“I have no idea,” Jade replied with a small shrug. “I didn’t exactly expect to make it this far.”

“What did you think would happen?”

“A patented Lane lecture? Thought you would turn me in.”

“I’d hope you’d have a little faith by now,” Tori said with a pout, crossing her arms.

“Tell me that turning me in to Lane never crossed your mind,” Jade deadpanned. Tori opened her mouth to retort, but snapped it shut when she realized that Jade was right. In her defense, the moody girl had been missing for a week. “Thought so,” Jade declared, victorious.

“So you really didn’t have a plan for something to do?”

“Movie? Shopping? Hell, I’d even take mini golf at this point.” Tori gave Jade a half hearted glare at the girl’s teasing tone, but still gave consideration to the other options. They did have all day now…

“I don’t really know what to do…” Tori admitted. “Something rule breaking?”

Jade rolled her eyes. “For someone who wants to be a pop star, you are _so_ good at knowing how to have fun.”

“You don’t have to be such a bitch about it.”

“It’s kind of my thing,” Jade said with a small shrug and a half smile that had Tori grinning as well.

“Maybe we could go to that fair downtown? Wasn’t it starting today?” Jade hummed her agreement. She was nodding her head along with the beat thrumming from the stereo, and soon Tori was singing along under her breath. Not long after Jade joined her and the two girls shared a duet all the way to the fair.

By the time they managed to park and get into the grounds - under a suspicious glare from the elderly woman behind the desk – it had passed to early afternoon. The sights and sounds of hundreds of people and children enjoying the fair echoed through the park and Tori had to grin at the thrill of being there against the rules.

“Rides, games, where to?” Jade said, eyeing the activity around them with one of her manicured brows raised.

“Oh, games!” Tori said with a quick series of claps. She was always a sucker for carnival games. Jade shrugged, looking disinterested, but Tori grabbed at her hand and tugged her toward one booth of many lined with stuffed animals of all shapes and sizes. “Bet I can get a better prize than you,” Tori challenged with a flick of her eyebrows.

Jade quirked a half grin. “You’re on Vega.” The game turned out to be a simple ring toss with a six bottle goal. The prizes, as the man behind the counter explained, would be better the more bottles they landed a ring on. The only catch was the rings were hardly larger than the bottlenecks they were aiming for.

“Guarantee this is a scam,” Jade declared, eyeing her six rings with a skeptical frown.

“No excuse will get you out of this, West,” Tori teased while lining up her first shot. She tossed the ring, with just a bit of English on it, and it wrapped around the foremost bottle with a satisfying cling. The poor attendant looked stunned that she had landed her first shot.

“How’d you do that?” Jade questioned with narrowed eyes at the ringed bottle.

“I guess I’m just gifted,” Tori said with a lofty air, buffing her nails against her shirt. Jade sniffed and lofted her first ring. It dinged off the first bottle without a hope of landing. “Oh, too bad Jadey.” The goth girl threw her a glare. Tori stuck out her tongue and tossed her second shot, landing it on a second bottle. Jade set her mouth in a firm line, threw her second ring, and narrowly missed.

“It’s all in the wrist,” Tori said, spinning and landing another ring. Both Jade and the proprietor were getting disgruntled.

“You’re cheating,” Jade muttered, carefully lining up her next shot. The ring soared in the air, spun around the top of a bottle, and landed clean. Jade fist pumped at the small win.

“I just have a natural talent,” Tori declared, sinking her fourth ring. Jade pouted when she missed her fourth, fifth, and sixth while Tori made each one. It was one of the few moments Tori was proud of her ham boning past. She would forever be good with her hands.

“Winner…” The gamekeeper announced with an annoyed tone. “You may take any prize you’d like.” He waved his hand across the row of gigantic animals that Tori had won the right to. Jade crossed her arms and looked off to the side, seeming uninterested, and an idea popped into Tori’s head. She scanned the prizes and settled on a tall black bear with a disgruntled expression and a shirt that read “I don’t need your hugs.” The gamekeeper handed over the large bear to Tori and shooed them away from the game.

“He’s a sore loser,” Tori declared, hugging the bear to carry it. It was almost as big as she was. Jade ‘tsk’d’ her agreement and kept a step ahead of her. “And so are you.” Jade stopped and spun around, a half-hearted glare in her eyes.

“You cheated,” she accused again, without any real malice.

“How?” Tori asked, a speck of irritation rising at the edge of her mind.

“You should have warned me you were stupidly good at carnival games.” Tori harrumphed and held out the gigantic bear to her friend.

“Here,” she said, “I was going to give this to you anyway. It reminded me of you when I picked it.” Jade gave the bear a dubious look, but at Tori’s hopeful expression her own softened and she took the stuffed animal from Tori’s arms.

“Apology accepted.” Jade turned away from the half-Latina, hiding away her true reaction. Tori saw how Jade clutched the bear close, though, and assumed the girl as pleased. With a wide grin, Tori threw an arm around her companion’s shoulder and hugged her close despite Jade’s not-amused grunt.

“Where to next? More games would be fun…”

“Not if you’re just going to kick my ass every time,” Jade said with a frown. “Besides, I can use an adrenaline rush.” Jade was looking off in the distance to where Tori could hear the shouts of joy and terror from adults and children alike. She followed her friend’s gaze to a ride that looked to go up, down, and all around.

She gulped.

“We don’t have to go on that, right?” She tried to hide her nervousness, but Jade’s predatory grin told her all she needed to know.

“Oh yes we do.” Jade laughed a laugh that sent tingles down Tori’s spine before pulling her along. She had a bad feeling about this.

A couple hours Jade was sitting and sipping a drink while watching Tori with an amused glint in her eye. Jade had dragged her along for just about every ride the fair had, and Tori knew she still had to look a little green. She picked at her fries and wondered whether she could stomach them.

She hated fast rides.

“You’re a sadist,” Tori grumbled. Jade smirked.

“I think you’re finally starting to get me.” Jade stretched back, her shirt drawing taught against her curves, but kept her eyes locked on Tori. “But you followed, so what does that make you?” Tori blushed and looked away, unsure why she felt embarrassed. “But hey, I’m not one to judge.”

Jade stood and looked at the setting sun. “I’m ready to head out, you?”

“Yeah.” She snatched the gigantic bear and tossed it at Jade, who caught it with a soft grunt. “Think of a name for him yet?”

“Him?” Jade raised a skeptical brow. “Why does the bear have to be a him?”

“I don’t know, it just looks like a him.”

“It’s a stuffed animal,” Jade deadpanned.

“Stuffed animals are people too.”

“You’re such a child.” Tori stuck out her tongue at Jade, who clicked her teeth in a vague threatening manner. Tori snapped her tongue back into her mouth before the girl could get any ideas.

It had been like that the entire day. Jade’s upbeat and teasing mood threw Tori for a loop at first, but the half Latina played along. The entire time she was expecting something to crack Jade’s armor, but nothing seemed to bring her down.

“We should come back with the others sometime,” she said at length. She stared at Jade’s features, looking for a hint of…something. Jade just hummed and kept looking forward. “I’m sure Cat would, you know, actually like the rides.” Another hum. “She’d probably convince Robbie to go on them, and he’d do worse than I would.” Jade’s lips twitched the slightest bit upwards. “Andre would do worse than you on the games, but keep trying anyway.” Jade rolled her eyes. “And Beck—”

“Look. Tori,” Jade interrupted her. Tori snapped her mouth shut. Jade’s had a little smile. “I’m okay, really. Stop worrying.” Jade’s eyes barreled into Tori’s own and Tori nodded.

Yet she had the distinct feeling that the stubborn girl was lying.

The entire ride to Tori’s home was silent save for the low playing radio. Tori was wrestling with a combination of suspicion of Jade’s true state of mind, annoyance at what might be paranoia on her part if Jade really was fine, and confusion as to why she felt hurt Jade was not confiding in her.

Overall, she just wished she had left the subject alone.

\---

Tori walked into her house, a frown lining her features and her head lost in a whirlpool of thought. Distracted as she was, it took her a moment to realize that bother her mother and father, and even Trina were sitting around the kitchen’s island counter.

Moreover they looked…pleasant.

“Hey?”

“Hi Honey!” Her mother was more enthused than she had been in months. Trina nodded a greeting, eyes locked on her phone, and her father winked at her. A half year before and Tori would not have been shocked by the scene, and it disturbed her how off kilter the sight put her now. “We’ve got some big news.” Her mother drummed her fingers against the counter – something she only ever did when excited about something.

“We do?” Tori’s stomach dropped. A wide variety of terrible ideas flew through her head, each as implausible as the next.

“They won’t tell me,” Trina complained with a pout. She dropped her phone and took a long drink from a mug filled with something that smelled earthy. Tori gagged a bit. “Said it has to be the ‘whole family.’”

“Well, whole family gathered.” Tori sank onto one of the tall stools next to her sister.”So, what’s the what?” Three bemused gazes answered her. “Right, won’t say that again…” Her family chuckled and Tori grumbled. Andre always made things sound far cooler than she could.

“You both know I’ve been putting in a lot of hours down at the precinct.” Tori and Trina both nodded and their mother clicked her tongue in agreement. Her father cut his eyes to her, but said nothing about it. “Things have been pretty tight around here, money-wise, and the overtime has really helped despite,” he glanced at their mother, “some strain it’s caused.” Tori frowned and bit her lip thinking about all the money she just wasted at the fair earlier. She had not known anything about problems they apparently had.

“Were not going to end up, like, homeless or anything?” Trina asked. Panic was clear in her voice. Her dad’s jaw went slack for a half second before he answered.

“No, Trina. We won’t be homeless. That’s the point of all the extra work…”

“Oh, right.”

“I don’t remember us having any money problems before…” Tori frowned. When she was born her mother had retired from being a real estate agent to stay home, and had never gone back to work.

“Well…” Her father grimaced and would not meet her eyes.

“They’re old enough to hear it David.”

He breathed a sigh. “Hollywood Arts isn’t a cheap school,” he said carefully. A lead ball of guilt pressed against Tori’s chest. “It’s not your fault!” He insisted. “We just had to… adjust our plans to make sure we could send both of you there at the same time and still have enough left over to start you in college.”

“And it’s not easy to get back into the real estate market after sixteen years,” her mother said. “So your father’s picked up the slack.” Tori bit her lip, and despite the complete lack of blame in her parents’ eyes, she still knew she was responsible for everything.

“Sorry.” The word slipped out and Tori bowed her head. All the fun memories she was making at Hollywood Arts – from the performances to finding a group of real friends to solving the mystery that was Jade – suddenly put a sour taste in her mouth.

“Hey,” her father reached across the counter and took her hand in his. “Look at me.” Tori raised her head, trying to blink away the moisture in her eyes. His reassuring gaze focused on hers. “It’s not your fault.” He glanced toward Trina. “Nor yours.” He grinned, then. “Besides, something great’s come from all that extra work.” He patted her hand and pulled back, puffing up his chest.

“I used all the time I had closing as many cases as I could as well as I could. I’ve had the highest closing rate in the department for the last few months. Just so happens Captain Gates is retiring in a couple weeks, and she’s going to recommend that I take over for her.”

“That’s a huge promotion isn’t it?” Tori asked, her guilt lessened somewhat.

“Very huge>”

“Congratulations!” Tori circled the counter and wrapped her father in a hug. He lifted her up and spun her around like he used to do when she was little, sending her into a fit of giggles. Trina was a couple steps behind her.

“Does this mean I can finally get a credit card?” She asked, hope in her voice. Her father made a noise halfway between a laugh and a sigh.

“We’ll see,” their mother said with a roll of her eyes.

“We should go out and celebrate!” Trina declared, already marching toward the stairs. “I know this place that’s supposed to be a total hotspot for celebrities this week,” she said over her shoulder.

“Whoa, whoa, Sweetheart.” Her dad put up his hands, palms out. “I’m not exactly raking in the big bucks yet.” Trina froze and a mild look of annoyance settled on her face.

“But pretty soon,” their mom said, reaching over and rubbing her husband’s back. “You’ll have shorter hours, better paychecks, more time for _us_ …” Tori grimaced when she got the feeling that “us” meant just the two of them.

“You’ll be safer,” she said, and put the disturbing image out of her head. “Right?” She was proud of what her dad did for a living, but the thought of him behind a desk commanding the troops was a lot more comforting that the idea of him going toe to toe against the bad guys.

“Depends on who you think is more dangerous: the criminals or the bureaucrats?” Her father laughed his infectious laugh and Tori smiled.

“You’ll need newer suits,” her mother said, tapping her chin. Trina’s eyes lit up again.

“Shopping trip?” Tori perked up at the idea as well. It had been at least a few months since they had splurged on a spree.

“Hang on,” her father held his hands up with a small grin. “It’ll b awhile before everything gets sorted. I’ll make do with what I have for now.” Trina pouted and Tori deflated at the sobering news. “Give it awhile yet and I promise you can go out. Until then, I’ve still got to keep up the pace with the time I’m down there. Just until I’ve gotten the promotion and set everything up just the way I want it.”

“Oh.” With that simple word from her mother’s pursed lips, a sobering silence fell between them. The jubilant air was decimated and the tension that had become the household norm over the past weeks returned with a vengeance.

“Well look at the time! I’m beat.” Trina gave an exaggerated yawn and stretch that left Tori questioning her sister’s acting skills. How had she gotten into Hollywood Arts again? “Congrats again, Daddy.” She kissed his cheek and raced up the stairs. Tori glanced at the clock.

It was only just after eight.

One look at her mother’s strained features and her dad’s tired eyes told her that Trina had the right idea. Unlike her sister, she did not say anything while leaving the room. She climbed the steps and cast a worried look to her parents over her shoulder, and bit her bottom lip at how both steadfastly avoided each other’s gaze.

As soon as she shut her bedroom door behind her, the fighting started. Her parents’ voices carried through the door, not even muffled.

“I thought you were done with the extra hours,” her mother snapped.

“If I stopped putting in the extra time, I might miss the promotion. Then what? Have you had any luck talking to your old colleagues?”

“I’ve been out of the game for too long, you know that. We both knew that when Tori was born!” Tori felt a pang in her chest and the earlier guilt returned tenfold. Determined not to listen any more, she strode over to her desk and plugged in her headphones.

The music drowned out the majority of her parent’s arguments, and Tori was able to get some work done on her and Jade’s scene. Every lull between songs, though, she heard her parents clearly. Each time was like a blow to Tori’s chest and each time her hands got shakier and tears of frustration threatened to surface more and more.

“…done waiting for you to put me ahead of…”

“…accepted. I have responsibility…”

“…Greg manages to balance…”

“…I _am_ a good…”

“Maybe _I_ needed you around…”

“…my best. I can’t…”

“…Two tuitions, one paycheck! Sacrifices…”

“…can’t help it. Sixteen…”

With a growl of annoyance Tori ripped her headphones off and threw them against her wall. The crack of plastic breaking dominated her ears for a glorious second. She pressed her palms against her forehead and breathed hard. She could not deal with this.

She stood and paced her room, focusing all of her attention on her pear phone so she could not hear. Instinct pulled up her contacts, but her thumb hesitated over the name she had spent the last year confiding. Jade’s words and the awkward golf trip of doom raided her already frayed emotions tearing at her head. Biting her lip, she scrolled past Andre’s name with a silent apology and tapped the only other person on the list she felt comfortable calling at a time like this.

The phone rang for an eternity and every second was torture without a distraction. Just before she was about to hang up and call Andre despite her worries, the line picked up. “What, couldn’t go two hours without me, Vega?” The tired, amused voice on the other end filled Tori with a sense of sheer relief.

“Hey Jade…” She trailed off, surprised at how fragile her voice sounded to her own ears.

“What’s up?” A beat of silence passed as Tori wondered exactly what she had expected to happen after getting in contact with someone. “Do I hear yelling in the background?” Tori nodded at the worried voice before she realized Jade could not see her.

“Yeah.” She wondered why she could not bring herself to rant or complain or do _something_ other than feel helpless with a torrent of emotions she had no control over. A sudden increase in volume from her parents had her scrunching her eyes shut and locking her jaw to hold back the maelstrom.

“Tori?” Jade’s voice was gentler than Tori had ever heard it, and it was a beam of light breaking through the clouds. She took a shaky breath and just focused on the other girl’s breath through the phone.

“Could you just…stay on the line for awhile?” Tori asked, sinking onto her bed and curling into a ball. One hand held the phone to hear ear while the other pressed a pillow to her head to further drive out the sound.

She could hear Jade shifting around on the other end. “Sure,” Jade said in a nonchalant way. That single word lifted a world of weight from Tori’s mind.

Neither of them said a word for the rest of the night, and Tori just focused on listening to Jade’s breath to drown out every other sound. After a time it evened out and Tori knew her friend had fallen asleep. A small smile graced her features and Tori fell into a dreamless sleep to the lullaby of Jade.

\---

Tori stared at herself in her mirror with a grimace. A vivid red pear-shaped blotch covered most of the left side of her face. Apparently sleeping while lying on a smart phone was bad for the skin. Before she could contemplate whether it was worth it to cover up the mark, the bathroom door almost caved in from being banged on.

“Tori, why aren’t you done yet? Some of us really need to pee!” Tori grimaced but collected her things. As soon as she turned the knob, Trina barreled past her, pushed her out, and slammed the door closed behind her.

“Good morning to you too.” Tori muttered under her breath and rolled her eyes. She tossed her things into her room and headed down the stairs. She froze halfway down when she saw a pile of blankets on the couch with her father snoring softly beneath them. “That’s probably not good,” she said to the quiet room. The only answer was another snore.

“Morning honey,” her mother’s voice was gravelly from overuse. The older Vega slipped by Tori and headed for the kitchen without a single glance at her husband. Tori’s eyebrows drew together in worry. “Want some coffee?” She sounded so nonchalant. As if the entire world was not screwed up.

“No,” she bit out. The sudden anger in her voice surprised her as much as it did her mother. She could not be here right now. She had to be _anywhere_ but here. Tori turned from her mother, jumped the last few steps, and all but ran for the front door.

Only to rip it open to find Andre, one hand raised to knock and eyes blinking in surprise.

“Hey chica,” he said after a beat and chuckled. “Why so splotchy?” Tori’s moaned in embarrassment and slapped a hand over the offending skin.

“Is it really that bad?” She complained. Andre just nodded with a bemused smile. Tori sighed. “What are you doing here so early anyway?”

“It’s almost eleven?” Tori’s mouth hung agape for a second before she pulled out her phone and checked the time.

“Huh.” She glanced behind her and wondered how long her parents had stayed up to sleep so late. She tried to put it of her mind. “Coffee?”

“Sure,” he said with a bright grin and took a step inside. She grabbed his arm, pulled him outside, and slammed the door behind them. “So, not here then.” He deadpanned as Tori led him on the path away from her house.

“Ah, no.”

“Never liked the coffee there, anyway.” His joke put a smile on her face. “Now, the cocoa, though, I swear the girl there makes the best I’ve ever had.” She laughed, and for just a moment she could pretend everything was normal again.

Then he slung an arm around her shoulders. “So, what’s up?” She tensed at the contact, annoyed at herself for reacting that way and at Jade for putting ideas in her head. Andre slipped his arm off of her immediately and stopped walking. Confusion and worry were written in bold on his face and guilt gripped her again. She was starting to really hate that feeling.

“Okay. Did I do something to piss you off or what?” Andre’s voice was subdued.

“No! No, you didn’t.” She blew out a frustrated breath and ran a hand through her hair.

“You sure? ‘Cause I’ve gotten that vibe from you for the past week.”

“It’s not you,” she reached up and put a reassuring hand on his arm and maintained eye contact. “I’ve just been really out of it lately.”

“No offense Tor, but something’s been up with you for awhile now.” Tori recoiled, shocked. “The whole avoiding me thing is new.”

“How much do you know?” She hugged herself.

“As much as you’ve told us,” he said with a hint of frustration.

“Us?”

“The others noticed too,” he clarified, staring into her eyes. “And I get that whatever’s going on you wanted to keep to yourself. It sucks, but I get it.” Tori shifted, uncomfortable under the intensity of his gaze. “But when my best friend start’s to push me away without saying anything.” He shook his head. Tori sagged at that.

“My grandma always said to never let a problem sit. You know, before she lost her mind. So, please. What’s going on?” Tori took a deep, shaky breath. She was terrified about confronting this, but the universe seemed to want to pile on all of her problems at once.

“You know I care about you, right?”

“Hope so.”

“Seriously.” she implored. “You’re my best friend and I love you; but just as my _friend_.” Andre looked taken aback and Tori held her breath and waited for his reaction.

After an eternity of seconds passed, he laughed. Tori stared at him, incredulous.

“Oh my god,” he said, wiping tears away from his eyes. “Do you have any idea how afraid you suddenly hated me or something?” He put a hand on her shoulder, leaning some of his weight on her as he doubled over with laughter.

“What’s so funny?” She asked, crossing her arms with a blush. She hated feeling left out of the loop.

“I’m just so _relieved_!” He said, straightening up and clapping his hands together. “Tor, you’re my best friend, and I love you too. As a friend.” Relief shot through her like a shock. “What made you think it was something more?”

“Jade said some things…”

“And you believed her?” He chuckled again. “I swear that girl lives just to mess with you sometimes.” Tori recalled the conversations and did not think Jade had been messing with her, but chose not to argue the point. She had just been wrong. Besides…

“ _And_ you were acting all extra affectionate lately.” She said, poking him in a rib. He chuckled.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed Tori, but you’ve sort of been in a funk lately.” She rolled her eyes. “I’ve just been tryin’ to be the super supportive guy over here.” Tori breathed a relieved sigh and shook her head. She was embarrassed and happy at the same time, which threw her somewhat.

“Sorry. If it helps, I’ve been confused because everything’s all topsy turvy lately.”

“Hey, it’s no big.” He held his arms open for a hug. “Still friends, right?” With a grin she embraced him and squeezed him tight. “Besides I could never date you?” She frowned, wondering if she had the right to feel insulted at that.

“Why?”

“Have you met the guys you’ve dated? I’m not nearly a big enough jackass for you.” She pulled away and smacked him on the arm even as he laughed at her expense. She stuck her nose in the air and strut away from him in an over exaggerated show of being insulted. He laughed and chased after her.

Ten minutes later they were meandering their way back to Tori’s house with large, deliciously unhealthy Jet Brew drinks clutched in their hands. Tori was even certain there was actually coffee in her drink. Somewhere.

“So, since we’re laying everything out there,” Andre said after taking a swig from his own sugary concoction. “Do you feel like talking about, well, whatever it is that you might want to talk about?” Tori frowned, and Andre immediately backed off. “Hey, I mean, you don’t have to. Just, if you want to…” He scratched the back of his head with his free hand.

Tori took a long drink to buy time to think. She had spent every day trying not to burden her friends with her problems. Instead, she had ended up stressed beyond belief trying to deal with everything with nothing more than Trina to confide in, and the girl was avoiding it even more than Tori was. On top of it, not only were her friend’s still worried about her, but it was worse because they did not know why.

Tori suddenly felt all sorts of foolish and wondered how long she would have continued to hide it from everyone if Jade had not literally walked in on the situation.

She took a deep breath and laid it all out there. From missing her father, to the growing tension, to her parent’s fighting – at first only seeing the fallout and eventually it getting so bad that they did not care if she heard the whole thing – to her fears that they would get a divorce, to her guilt for her part in causing the problem. The only thing she left out was that Jade already knew.

Andre listened to everything with a patient ear. At some point he had pulled her into a one armed hug as they walked, and Tori was glad that it lacked all the awkwardness from earlier. After she had finished her rant he was quiet for long while with a contemplative gaze.

“I don’t really know what to say. I mean, it’s stupid that they doing it in front of you guys and stuff, and it’s _not_ your fault.” Hearing that did not lessen her guilt much, but she appreciated him saying it. “I guess there’s nothing you can really do for them about it other than hope they get their shit together.”

“Maybe.” It was not what she wanted to hear, but Tori still felt better for having it out there of her own free will.

“As for you, you know you could always crash at my place if you needed a night away, right?” She nodded. “Cat, Beck, Robbie. Hell, even Jade would probably not say no either.” Tori knew he was right about that. “And as soon as summer hits, we’ll all go camping or something. Get away for awhile. Sound good?”

“I’d like that.” Tori took a long, calming breath. At least one part of her life still made complete sense. Now she just wished she had never bottled it up to begin with. “You think—” She was interrupted by her phone chirping that it had a new message. “Hang on,” she said as she pulled it out.

 _Going to come over in an hour to finish the scene._ Tori grinned and shook her head. It was typical from Jade and she would normally be annoyed, but she wanted to see her. Both to gloat that she was wrong about Andre and because she wanted the project over and done with.

“Uh oh,” Andre said as she sent of f a quick reply.

“What?” She asked and looked up. He had an amused glint in his dark eyes.

“I know that smile.”

“Well, I tend to smile. I’m a smiler,” Tori said, bemused. Andre chuckled.

“Ah, but this one only comes out on rare occasions.” Tori only gave him a blank look.

“That was the “Tori is totally crushing on a guy” smile.” He bumped his shoulder into hers playfully. Tori snorted at the implication.

“You’re way off base. It’s only—” He raised a hand to interrupt her.

“Please Tori, give me some credit here.” He pulled on his shirt like it was a suit jacket and puffed out his chest. “I happen to be the world’s greatest authority on reading you.”

“Really,” she deadpanned. She wondered how much she could milk this for a laugh.

“Absolutely. I know things even before you, sometimes. Like now, apparently.”

“Uh huh.”

“Think about it. A minute ago you looked like you had the weight of the world on your shoulders. As soon as you got that text, though, you got all perky and smiley.”

“You’re being ridiculous.”

“Humor me then.” He stepped in front of her and stopped her by grabbing her by both shoulders. “Close your eyes.” She made sure to roll them before letting her lids drop. “Good, now imagine you and whatever guy texted you—”

“It wasn’t—”

“Uh uh, let me finish. Now remember the last time you saw him.” A smile tugged on her lips as yesterday’s impromptu field trip replayed in her head. “And now think about how soon you want to see him again.” _I’ll see her soon_. “And…” He drew out the word like he was building to a big finish. “Imagine he shows up then, looks you in the eye, and says he wants to be with you.” The scene played out in her head before she could fully process Andre’s words. “Then goes in to close the deal with a kiss…” Her heart skipped a beat.

“Ah hah!” Andre said, releasing her shoulders. Tori’s eyes snapped open.

“What?” She said, her voice an octave higher than it should have been.

“You’ve totally got the warm and fuzzies right now.”

“D-do not!” She denied. She pressed a hand against her chest. When did her heart start beating so quickly?

“Pull the other one,” Andre teased. “You’re crushing on that guy and now you know it. But hey, at least your cheeks match now.” Tori’s hand flashed from her chest to her unmarred cheek. Sure enough, it was so warm to the touch that she knew she was flushed. _Oh god_.

“So now that we’ve established that I know you better than you do, what do you want to do now?”

“Uh, Jade’s coming over in an hour to finish our project.” Her heart quickened again as Andre’s poisonous image played in her head again. The entire rest of the way back to her house she tried to force the thought out of her head, but it just kept coming back. Over and over again.

When they reached Andre’s car, her best friend elected to take off rather than stick around until Jade showed up. “I’d probably say something to your parents right now, and I think that’d make it worse…” She nodded absently and Andre just snickered before pulling her into a hug. “Sorry for blowing your mind.” He waved, slipped into the car, and was gone.

Tori dropped down to the ground as soon as he was out of sight and put her head in her hands. Andre had joked, but it did seem like a part of her world just got turned on its head and she could not wrap her head around that.

Was it really only ten minutes ago that things had finally started to feel right again?

But no matter how much she tried, she could not ignore the fact that the fantasy Andre put into her head was not unappealing. Each time the thought ran through her head, Tori got both more excited and more terrified.

She knew herself well enough to recognize the obvious when it was staring her in the face.

She had a crush on Jade West.

“ _Shit._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Only three scenes this chapter, but each one blew up to be much longer than I had anticipated, and I found it created a perfect cutoff point for now. As I said in my previous notes, things are definitely starting to speed up!
> 
> Half our Jori pairing is now aware thanks to the unwitting help of our dear Andre. I especially hope you liked the entire sequence with him and found it believable and in character. Balancing maturity and teenager-ness in situations like this is tricky IRL and trickier to depict well, I think. So let me know how I did!
> 
> Speaking of characterization, I'm curious. Which chapters do you guys and gals generally prefer so far: The Tori or Jade ones? Oddly enough I think I have an easier time with Jade, but I have more fun with writing Tori. It's odd.
> 
> Anywho, let's hope it's not another 5 weeks before I can update again, haha.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, please feel free to leave a review, positive or negative!


	6. Jaded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on FFN. Crossposted to AO3 2/10/2016

Jade stared at the pen in her hand, focusing all of her strength of mind on urging it to glide across the page. It remained motionless. She threw the offending ballpoint across the room with a growl of frustration. Her father looked up from his spot across the living room for only a half a moment before returning his attention to the files laid out in front of him without a word.

She dropped her face into her hands and rubbed at her throbbing temples. She could not focus in this room. No matter what she tried Jade had not written a single original word in the past week. Writer’s block, she decided, was one of the things that annoyed her most about the world.

And there were more than enough things pissing her off lately that she did not need to add to the list.

Their doorbell rang, and a voice drifted from the kitchen, high and jovial. “Jade! Could you get that, Sweetie?” Jade cringed, teeth gnashing, and blew a sharp breath out of her nose. She glared at her father, who had the courtesy to flinch, and stood to answer whoever was interrupting such a _pleasant_ afternoon.

“Jade!” She opened the door, saw a flash of red, and found herself in one of Cat’s overenthusiastic embraces.

“Cat,” Jade said in a clipped tone. Her hands balled into fists and her entire body went rigid. “What is the rule about hugging?” Cat gasped and jumped away, hands covering her mouth and eyes wide in apology. She said something behind her hands, but it was too muffled to make out. Jade rolled her eyes and lifted a single finger to tap the excitable girl’s hands away from her mouth.

“Don’t do it unless you’re choking,” Cat repeated with an assured nod.

“Good girl,” Jade patted her friend’s head and the redhead perked right up. “Now, what do you want?” Jade raised a brow when Cat perked right back down again.

“I wanted to talk.” With her eyes lowered and arms held behind her back, Cat was a picture of vulnerability that cracked Jade’s icy mood. With a long suffering sigh, Jade waved the girl inside. Cat smiled and _skipped_ inside and rushed toward the door to Jade’s stairs only to pause and look at her like a loyal puppy. Jade held back a snort of amusement and fished in her pocket for her key.

“Who was it Jade?” Jade froze, key halfway into the knob, when the same cheerful voice sounded much too close. She counted to five in her head, and turned to face her mother.

Sarah West stood in the kitchen doorway, green eyes locked onto the cookbook in her hands with a disgruntled expression. She wore an impeccable forest green pantsuit that made her eyes pop and matched every accessory she wore right down to the apron tied around her waist. Not for the first time that week Jade felt the distinct need to change the streaks in her hair to any other color.

If she could get some damned time away.

Sarah looked up, her brunette hair falling over her shoulders in gentle waves, and hand found its way to her waist. Jade grimaced. Looking at her mother was like looking in a mirror. They were the same height and build, had similar features and matching eyes. If Jade did not bother to dye her hair, well, they had been mistaken for sisters in the past.

And she hated it.

“Caterina Valentine!” Sarah dropped her book at her feet when she noticed the redhead. Cat tensed up at the sound of her full name, and was engulfed in a hug a moment later. Jade felt her eye twitch. “When’s the last time I saw you?” Sarah pushed the girl to arms length and turned her back and forth, inspecting her.

“I don’t know!” Cat said with a breathy laugh from being jerked around.

“It has to be years now,” Sarah said with hum and released the giggling girl. “You should come to the kitchen so we can catch up!” Sarah latched her arm to Cat’s and pulled the girl toward the other room.

“Okay…” Cat said, going along with the woman with a confused look to Jade. Jade grit her teeth as the duo disappeared around the corner. She weighed the options in her head, sighed, and yanked the key from the door before going to rescue Cat.

In the half a minute it took for Jade to follow the two into the kitchen, Sarah had seated Cat down at the island counter and given her a glass of milk and fresh cookies. Cat was nibbling on one while listening to Jade’s mother blather on with a wide-eyed attention. The sheer domesticity of it turned Jade’s stomach.

“Since when do you bake?” Jade interrupted whatever the women was talking about, glancing around the massacre that was the normally unused kitchen. Sarah disappeared into the room hours ago and Jade had not cared to wonder what she was doing.

If Sarah was annoyed at being interrupted she did not show it. “Oh I took a class out in San Francisco with a client,” the woman said, leaning on the last clean stretch of counter left. “Of course I can’t tell you _who_ it was,” Sarah giggled and Jade tsk’d. “But she was going on and on about trying to be more domestic for her kids, so I suggested the class and she wanted to take it with me!” Sarah finished the statement with a wide armed gesture.

“Had to kiss a celeb’s ass, got it,” Jade said. Sarah’s smile faltered the tiniest bit and Jade suppressed a smirk. It was the first chip she managed to hit in her mother’s façade all “visit.”

“You know,” Sarah adopted her holier than thou tone Jade knew and loathed. “It never hurts to broaden your horizons. How do ever expect to keep that boy of yours if you never try anything new? What was his name, Buck?”

“But Jade and Beck broke up?” Cat ran her hands along her braid, looking unsure. Jade knew the girl hated any negative atmosphere and the tension surrounding Jade and her mother was rarely pleasant.

“You see?” Sarah said with a snap of her fingers. “Who knows what would have happened if you kept your mind open to the world around you and its endless possibilities.”

“Okay,” Jade rolled her eyes. “One, you learned how to make _cookies_. Not exactly curing cancer there. Two, you don’t know what the hell happened between Back and I and it’s none of your business. And three, how are you an authority about _anything_ about relationships?” Jade was proud of her even delivery and the way her mother’s face fell with each statement.

“You know Jade,” her mother snapped, all signs of her cheerfulness gone. The woman turned and started slamming dishes toward the dishwasher with rigid movements. “Every time I look forward to visiting and—“

“And I look forward to you leaving,” Jade supplied, arms crossing beneath her chest. She settled in for the familiar rant.

“And every time I think, _this_ time I’ll get to spend time with my daughter. This time maybe she won’t be such an ungrateful bitch.” The last was accompanied by the loud echo of metal crashing into glass, but Sarah did not seem to care about the broken dishes. “I always to my best to be open and up front with you, and all I get is sarcasm and immaturity.”

It had been years since Jade late Sarah’s words affect her. “Sorry I don’t jump for joy every time you decide you want to fuck Dad between clients.” Sarah spun, nostrils flaring and fire in her eyes.

“I am an _accountant_ you immature child. I maintain strict professional relationships—“

“In bed.” Jade wondered why she needed to egg the woman on, but her mouth worked faster than her head whenever Sarah showed up.

The woman growled and her eyes narrowed. “I don’t have to stand here and take this from you.”

“Then leave,” Jade deadpanned. “You know where the door is.”

“I don’t think I will.” The woman’s voice was low and Jade knew the tone from whenever she would try to frighten someone with her haughtiness. “I think I’ll stick around for a good long while. You need someone like me in your life to set you straight.”

Jade felt a chill run down her spine and bile rise in her throat at the thought. “And what do you think you can do to me?” Jade scoffed. “Waltz in every few months and act like you’re actually a mother and expect me to follow? No way in hell.”

“We’ll see.” Sarah said, and left the kitchen without another word. Jade looked after her mother’s retreating form with a bit of apprehension nagging at the edge of her mind. Usually the woman would storm out and disappear whenever Jade broke through her act. Deciding to stay? That was new.

Jade hated when things did not follow their pattern.

She heard a whimper and her head snapped toward the sound. She had forgotten about Cat.

The redhead was sitting on a chair, doubled over with her head down and hands covering her ears. Guilt smashed through Jade and she raced to comfort her friend; breaking her own no touching policy in the process. She blamed her mother for it.

“Hey Cat, it’s alright now.” She should have known better. Cat got jumpy whenever any of them _played_ at arguing…

“…under my bed,” the redhead muttered and took a deep breath. After a long while of silence and Jade rubbing her back, the girl finally calmed down.

“Let’s head up to my room, okay?” Cat nodded and rubbed at her eyes. Jade pretended not to notice the tears and let the girl take her hand and led her back to the staircase door. She could hear her mother ranting at her father through his office door, and Cat shuffled closer to her. Jade bit down a sigh, and pulled the redhead through to the stairs. Silence greeted them as soon as Jade shut the door behind them and clicked the lock back over.

“Come on,” she urged Cat up the stairs. The redhead was quiet until Jade kicked the giant teddy bear outside her door square in the head out of reflex. Cat gasped and bent down to clutch the toy to her chest. That was one way to distract the girl, she guessed.

“Why would you do that?” Cat asked, glaring at her and petting the bear. _You should just go, Jade,_ Vega’s voice echoed in her head. _I…I don’t want to see you right now._ Vega had avoided her gaze and refused to talk to her after that. That was after a fruitless afternoon trying to finish their project, which was enough to annoy Jade, but the Latina spending the rest of the week flat out ignoring her downright pissed her off.

“Because it annoys me, now come on.” She tugged Cat into the bedroom, but the girl refused to release the bear. Jade rolled her eyes but did not argue. At least she seemed to be back to normal.

Cat plopped into one of Jade’s red armchairs and fidgeted with the bear. Jade was content to wait and pulled out a fresh pad and pen from her desk, breathing a deep refreshing breath at the familiar surroundings. Her hand automatically moved, scratching down words as they came to mind. The simple fact that she was able to free write did wonders for her mood.

Even if all the words coming out seemed to only have something to do with Vega’s sudden cold shoulder.

“Robbie asked me out.” Cat’s sudden declaration left Jade’s pen digging deep into the pad, ripping through pages.

“What?” Beck’s break up speech floated through her mind. She had half assumed he had made everything about Robbie up. Cat carefully put Vega’s bear down and stared at Jade with a serious expression.

It was an unnerving look for the redhead.

“I was at Nozu’s with Robbie, Beck, and Andre this morning.” Jade nodded. They had called, but she couldn’t get away from her mother. “Everything was going great, and, oh! These really funny guys were singing karaoke!” Cat trailed off, giggling and staring off into space.

“And?” Jade prompted the flighty girl.

“Well, Andre and Beck went to go sign up to sing, but they were gone for a really long time, and Robbie started acting weird.” Cat had a little smile and she danced in her seat. “He started saying how much he liked me, and how he thought we should go out. Then he kissed me!” Cat giggled and looked at Jade with wide eyed anticipation. Jade forced herself not to cringe at the idea of the puppet boy kissing _anyone_ and tried to look pleased for her friend.

“That’s…great. So are you two like a couple now?” Cat’s face fell.

“I don’t know.” The redhead looked away and started playing with her braid again.

“How could you not know?” Jade asked with a quiet laugh.

“I ran away right after he kissed me.” Jade cocked her head to the side, speechless.

“Why?” Was all she could manage to get out.

“I got nervous.” Cat toyed with her bottom lip and hugged the giant bear closer. “You know I run when I get nervous.”

“I thought you fainted?”

“That’s only when I’m scared.” Cat pouted.

“Why were you nervous anyway? If you’re afraid to say no, I could talk—“

“No! I like Robbie!”

“So what’s the problem?” Jade was at loss.

“What if it doesn’t work out?” Cat put the bear down and hugged herself instead. She looked like she needed a delicate answer, but Jade did not do delicate.

“Then it doesn’t work out,” Jade said with a shrug. “But if you like him, you should give it a shot.”

“But if we break up it’ll get all weird like everything is right now!”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re always mad,” Cat counted off on her fingers. “Beck’s always confused, Robbie’s always nervous, and Tori’s been acting _really_ strange all week – ever since you and Beck broke up. I don’t want things to get all weird with Robbie!”

Jade grimaced. “All that’s not because of Beck and I.” She sighed. “I don’t know about the others, but my mother really pisses me off.” _And Vega’s not helping things…_

“I thought she left when you were five.”

“She did.”

“Oh,” Cat nodded. “I’m confused.”

Jade rolled her eyes. “Every few years she gets it in her head that she wants to be a mother and wife again. She comes back, lasts a week, and disappears again.”

“You never mentioned it before.”

“I used to stay at Beck’s whenever she was around. Had nowhere to go this time,” Jade said with a shrug.

“You can stay at my place!” Cat offered with an excited grin.

“Uh, no. Last time I slept at your place, I woke up to your brother standing over my bed with a knife.”

“He was making breakfast and wanted to know what you wanted…”

“He asked me how much I liked red,” Jade deadpanned and Cat looked sheepish.

“Well, why not Tori’s? You two have been all friend-ish lately!” The redhead declared with a snap of her fingers.

 _I…I don’t want to see you right now, Jade._ “Not an option.” Something in Jade’s tone must have put Cat off, because she did not pry further.

“Well--” A bright, poppy tune interrupted Cat and the girl dove for her purse and fished out her pear phone. “It’s Robbie!” She declared, showing the screen to Jade. She had to hold back a snort at the picture of Robbie trying to act cool.

“Answer it.”

“Kay kay!” Cat’s thumb hesitated before it hit the button. “Wait,” she looked panicked. “What do I say?”

Jade shook her head. “Do you like Robbie?” Cat nodded. “Do you know he likes you?” Another nod. “Do you feel brave?” A much more hesitant nod. “Then ask him out,” Jade finished, nodding at the phone. Cat took a deep breath and put the phone to her ear.

“Hi hi!” Jade gave her friend an incredulous look, but the redhead had her eyes closed. “Robbie, wait! I’m not mad. I was just surprised! Yes that means I liked it.” She giggled. “I’d love to go to the fair with you tomorrow! Uh huh, so am I. Bye!” She tapped the screen to end the call and made a noise that was half way between a squeak and a cheer.

“Good news then?” Jade managed to keep a straight face.

“Yup! He’s taking me to the fair tomorrow.” Cat grinned and got a faraway look in her eye.

“It’s a good time,” Jade said, bouncing the bear between her feet on the floor.

“Is that where you got Mr. Beary?”

“Mr. Beary, really?” Cat shrugged and caught the stuffed animal after Jade hit it with a particularly sharp kick. “Vega won it last week and gave it to me so I wouldn’t kick her ass for hustling me.”

“Tori won a stuffed animal at the fair and gave it to you?” Cat asked with a furrowed brow. Jade nodded. “So why are you so mean to it?” Cat was looking at her like she was trying to figure out a puzzle. Jade just shrugged.

“So, dating one and a half boys at the same time,” Jade said, changing the subject.

“Huh?” Her ploy was successful as Cat went from curious to confused.

“Whenever you get Robbie, Rex is sure to be there.” Cat’s eyes widened in realization, but then she grinned.

“He didn’t have Rex with him today!”

“Really? Huh.” Jade was almost impressed with the ventriloquist. She wondered if leaving Rex behind had been his idea or one of the boys’.

“I guess he likes me more than Rex.” Cat bobbed her head from side to side, her smile never wavering.

“Better hope the date goes well or Rex might try to steal him back.” Jade snickered at the thought until Cat looked genuinely worried.

“You don’t think that would happen do you?”

“I…doubt it?” Her lack of conviction only sent Cat into a mild panic. “Relax!” Jade pushed off her chair in time to grab the other girl by the shoulders before she could go into full freak out mode. “I’m sure it’ll go fine.”

“But what if something goes wrong?”

“It won’t.”

“How do you know? Maybe some crazy carnival people will attack us! Or Robbie will try to do too much to impress me and get sick! Or—“ Jade shook the girl before she could spiral down her ridiculous thoughts.

“Nothing like that’s going to happen. I promise.”

“How can you promise? You won’t be there to—“ Cat’s eyes lit up in a way that only happened when she thought of something she thought was genius. Jade braced herself. “You should come!”

“That’s not a good idea.”

“If something goes wrong, you could fix it before it goes really bad.” Jade bit back a groan.

“Cat, you’ve had boyfriends before and dated them just fine on your own.”

“But this is Robbie. It’s different. _Please_ Jade?” The girl gave her best puppy dog look and Jade felt her resolve weakening.

“This is a terrible idea,” Jade sighed, released the girl, and rubbed at her eyes.

“This is the _best_ idea!” Cat countered with a breathy laugh.

“Fine.” Cat cheered, and Jade knew she was going to regret this decision. “But you’re paying for me get in _and_ buying me lunch all week.” Cat saluted, never losing her damnable grin. Jade plopped back into her chair and shook her head.

When the hell had she gotten such a big soft spot for her friends?

\---

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Jade muttered. She was hiding, _casually_ , behind the very same booth Vega won her the bear from the week before. Cat was standing in the middle of the main path, dancing in place and looking anxious. Jade checked her watch and sighed. Robbie was supposed to meet the girl there five minutes ago, and she knew Cat well enough to know the girl would panic if the boy was any more than another minute late.

“Hey Cataroni!” Jade winced at the nickname, but Cat perked right up at Robbie’s voice. The boy strode up, tugging at his shirt nervously. Jade had to give the ventriloquist points for not bringing the obnoxious puppet along. “Where do you want to go first?”

“I don’t know!” Cat said with a wide smile, looping her arm into Robbie’s. Jade just about gagged. Cat laid her head on the boy’s shoulder and Jade snickered when Robbie stiffened and blushed. He was clearly clueless and it was almost endearing. Almost.

“How about the rides?”

“The fast ones are scary,” Cat said with an exaggerated pout. Jade rolled her eyes. Was she seriously going to have to follow this around for the rest of the night?

“The teacups are slow, and we can work together to go any speed we want.” Robbie poked Cat with every word at the end of his sentence and Jade shook her head. The boy’s idea of flirting left her dumbfounded.

But Cat giggled and seemed to eat it up. And while the duo walked arm in arm whispering sweet nothings to each other, Jade followed at a discreet distance and wondered what the hell had possessed her to agree to Cat’s insane idea. Her giant sunglasses and oversized baseball cap made her feel out of place and awkward, and yet here she was: making sure her friend’s date did not end in fiery mayhem.

Even if that was what she would prefer would happen.

She followed the dorkiest of date duos to the children’s rides, cursing her decision the entire way, and settled herself at the edge of the ride for a boring quarter hour of watching them spin in circles.

With every pass Cat had moved closer to Robbie, spinning and laughing and touching, and Robbie was eating it up. Jade’s mood darkened each time the couple came into her view. A wreathing seed of jealousy sprouted in her stomach and she turned away, equally confused and annoyed.

 _This was a stupid fucking idea_. She took a deep breath, trying to drown out the sounds around her and her hand brushed over scissors in her pocket. She drew them and nabbed a drink someone abandoned on the fence a few feet away. Pouring out the contents, she started to cut a spiral through the cheap cardboard. Sound drifted away from her the further down she cut and she relaxed. She found there was a certain beauty to destroying things, really.

She blamed _The Scissoring_.

“Hey.” Her scissors snapped shut, nearly taking a chunk of her finger, and her whole body tensed up. “Didn’t expect to see you here,” Beck said, leaning against the fence and letting his elbows support his weight. Jade considered ignoring him and walking away, but figured that would me he would win.

Win what, she did not know. Only that he would.

“Could say the same,” she replied, cool demeanor firmly in place.

“Robbie was nervous.” He picked at the fence’s chipped paint, shooting a glance over his shoulder at the ride. Jade followed his gaze to see Cat and Robbie leaning on each other for balance and laughing their asses off as they tried to fall while they walked off the ride. She clicked her tongue, dropped the destroyed cup in the trash, and made to follow them.

Beck was in step with her half a heartbeat later.

“I take it Cat was the same way?” She hummed her agreement and made sure they stayed far enough back not to be seen. “I’d think she’d go to Tori about that.”

“Well she didn’t.”

“Don’t have to be snippy.”

“Snippy? Really?” Beck shrugged. She rolled eyes. They kept following the couple, but the atmosphere between her and Beck seemed less tense. Somehow.

“How’d she convince you to do it? You hate coming to these things.”

“I don’t hate them,” Jade argued.

“And I quote from the last three years: ‘There will be people there. I hate people.’” Beck said with a chuckle. Jade just shrugged.

“Things change…” Beck looked doubtful. “And she looked like a kicked puppy when she asked. Even I couldn’t say no to that.”

“Ah,” Beck declared with a sage nod. “I’ll have to remember that for later.”

“Like you could pull it off.” She scoffed.

“Challenge accepted, hang on.” They stopped and Beck turned around. Jade just shook her head and waited for something that was sure to be terrible.

When Beck turned around she burst out laughing. He had drawn his features into an over exaggerated caricature of a pout that was so un-Beck she could not help losing it.

“I think that’s the first time you’ve smiled in over a week.” Jade was too busy pulling herself together to rebuke him for overstepping his business.

“Thanks,” she said instead. Beck just smiled one of his half smiles that always left her insides melting.

For the first time in as long as she could remember, it did nothing for her.

“Huh.” She let out at that revelation.

“What?” Beck asked.

“…nothing.” She shook her head and tried to figure out where the couple they were ‘chaperoning’ had managed to slip off to, but the crowd had grown thick and she could not see a speck of red anywhere. “Just great.” She heaved a sigh and closed her eyes. Knowing Cat, she would be an octave or two above the rest of the rabble.

“Did you see where—“ She shushed Beck, but it did little good. She could only hear the people near. _It was a long shot anyway._

“We should split up,” Jade said, and was already moving before he could object.

“Oh, yeah. Sounds good…” She heard his muttered sarcasm and grinned. Point for her.

She shouldered her way through the crowd, ignoring their protests and keeping an ear out for her friend. As she bounced and weaved through the throng of loud, obnoxious people, her patience started to run thin. Only the image of an angry Cat kept her from just leaving.

There were few things in the world more annoying than an angry Caterina Valentine.

“We shouldn’t do this, it’s so wrong.” Jade’s mood did a frightening roller coaster to happy and annoyed again at the familiar voice. She stood up on her tiptoes, cursing her height, and spotted a familiar half-Latina just beyond the crowd. And she was not alone.

“Oh you know you’re curious,” Andre said, taking her hand in his and pulling her forward. Jade slipped free of the crowd and followed the duo at a safe distance – her other prey put on hold for now.

“That doesn’t mean we should _stalk_ them,” Vega hissed and pulled her hand away from his. Jade smirked.

“Come _on_ Tori.” Andre almost whined, straining his neck to look over the crowd. “Last I heard Cat left Robbie hanging in the theater. Now they’re at the fair together? You know something’s up.” He waggled his eyebrows and Vega let out an exasperated sigh. “Besides,” Andre continued. “What did I say when we left.”

Vega rolled her eyes. “That if I didn’t have some fun tonight I was going to break the world record for days in a row spent moping.”

“Exactly!” Andre threw an arm around her and hugged her close. Jade narrowed her eyes, her own words to Vega echoing in her mind. Had those two…

Vega gave him a playful shove. “It’s your fault anyway!” She accused, finger up and pointing just below Andre’s nose. The boy went cross eyed as it came close.

“What’d I do?”

“Oh you _know_ what you did.” Judging by the look on Andre’s face, the boy had no clue. “You had to be all-” She took a deep breath and adopted her generic boy voice. “I know you and I’m going to put ideas in your head that should never be there.” Vega finished with a flourish but Andre just blinked, nonplussed. Jade was utterly lost.

“I don’t sound like that…”

Vega deflated. “I know…”

“I was right though, wasn’t I?” He nudged her with an elbow that she smacked.

“Yes.” Vega made a face at the boy that almost made Jade laugh. “And that’s why it’s your fault.”

“Still not following.” Vega rounded on the boy, eyes narrowed. Andre gulped and took a step back. Jade smiled at the sight. There was something about an annoyed Vega that struck a memorable image.

“Because everything was going just fine, and I was happy as _friends_ – sort of –and then you said something and I had bad thoughts about being something _more_ and it got all weird and I screwed things up.” She poked him in the chest hard enough for him to take a step back. “And now they’re probably wazzed off at me forever.” Jade almost snorted. _They’ll have to join the club._

Still, it did explain why Vega had been such a bitch all week. She found herself a new crush and got shot down. _Didn’t have to be such a bitch to me about it_. Jade mulled it over, and decided she was still angry at the half-Latina.

Andre chuckled and held his hands up in mock surrender. “I get it. You can stop assaulting me now.” Vega harrumphed and crossed her arms, looking plenty wazzed off herself. “Besides, it can’t be all bad. Tell me exactly what happened.”

“I told…” Vega started but shook her head. “It just went bad, okay? I acted stupid and then made it worse.” Her crossed arms turned into a self hug, and angry Vega was replaced with vulnerable Vega. It was a disappointing transition, Jade decided.

“I’d say it’d all work out, but I don’t even know who this guy is…” It was a clear lead in and Vega knew it to, judging by her sigh.

“Andre…”

“Hey, I promise not to judge.” He said with a smile. “Besides, if you don’t tell me, I’m gonna start guessing.”

“Go ahead.” Tori started to walk forward and Andre hurried after her. Jade made sure to stay far enough back that she could hear them but not close enough to be obvious about it.

“It’s Robbie isn’t it?” Vega tripped over herself and Jade had to bite her thumb to keep from laughing. “ _That’s_ why you don’t want to see him and Cat together.” He snapped his fingers like he had figured out a great mystery.

“Yes Andre,” Vega said, deadpan. “However did you figure out my love for our puppet wielding friend?” Andre laughed and Tori grinned. Dawning realization hit Jade on Andre’s scheme, and she felt a bit of newfound respect for the musician. _Distract and entertain, not bad._

“Beck?”

“I couldn’t ever do that to Jade, you know that.” Vega was nothing but serious. Jade felt a rush of… _something_ for the girl that she could not identify.

“That was just a test,” Andre said, stroking his chin. They walked in silence for a minute before Andre stopped them. “I’ve got it, and I understand.” He took a bemused Vega by the shoulders and stared into her eyes. “I know it can’t be easy for you, admitting it to yourself.”

Vega shifted, uncomfortable and… afraid? “It wasn’t…” She allowed. Jade took a hesitant step forward. They were getting quieter and there was no way she was going to miss this. She would be able to hold it over Vega’s head as revenge for the half-Latina treating her like shit all week. “And I still don’t really understand it, I mean—”

“Hey now,” he brought her into a hug which she returned. “You need to know that I’ll always be your friend. Even if you are in love with Sinjin.”

There was a beat of silence, and a moment later Andre was on the ground, rubbing his shoulder from where Vega had hit him – hard.

“You! I!” Vega was seething, all traces of her vulnerability gone. “I am _not_ in love with _Sinjin_!” Andre was laughing, Vega looked vaguely sick, and Jade could only shake her head.

“Alright I get it,” Andre said between laughs as he stood up. “You don’t want to tell me, your _best friend_ , who it is.” Vega bit her lip and Andre stuffed his hands into his pockets. Jade rolled her eyes as he actually kicked a rock to show how dejected he was.

“Andre, just stop.” Vega heaved a sigh and rand a hand through her chestnut hair. As far away as she was, Jade could see that Vega looked…scared.

“Hey muchacha, I was just messin’ around.” Andre dropped his act and held up his hands in surrender.

“No, if I don’t tell _someone_ I’m going to go crazy.”

“Going to?” Andre joked. It amazed Jade sometimes how fast the musician could move between serious and joking.

“Funny, but if I tell me you have to promise me two things.”

“Shoot.”

“One, you can’t tell _anyone_. Entiende?” Jade raised a curious brow. Vega rarely ever used Spanish. Andre nodded. “And promise me you won’t freak out.” She rubbed at her left arm with her right hand and would not meet Andre’s eyes.

“As long as it isn’t me, I don’t think I’ll freak the freak out,” he said, nudging her again. Vega smiled at the reference.

“Fine,” Vega started to scan the crowd and Jade’s heart skipped a beat. She dove behind a nearby game stall - drawing an odd look from the attendant – and managed to avoid the Latina’s gaze. Too curious for her own good, Jade peeked her head around the flimsy wooden stand, telling herself she was only curious so she could use the secret against the other girl.

But Tori was leaning right next to Andre and whispering in his ear. Worse, his back was to Jade so she could not even see the boy’s reaction. Vega pulled back, oozing anxiousness, and Andre stood frozen for a long moment. Then he shrugged, whispered something to Vega that Jade had no chance of hearing, laughed, and pulled a relieved Vega forward.

Jade moved to follow.

“Robbie, you have to aim for the middle of the target!” Jade froze and cursed under her breath as Cat’s breathy laugh sounded clear and loud over the din of the fairgoers. Her promise and her curiosity were raging for superiority in her mind. Andre and Vega disappeared into the crowd and her decision was made for her.

“What took you so long?” Beck greeted her as she took a seat at the stand three down from Cat and Robbie. Robbie was sitting, a water gun in his shaking hands, and trying to win Cat something from the booth. Cat was hugging the boy from behind, though, and Jade could see how much it was distracting the boy plain as day. It was both cute and nauseating.

That tended to happen a lot, she mused.

“Got distracted,” she told her partner-in-voyeurism with a shrug. Her mind wandered back to Vega and her secret crush. It was childish that she was embarrassed about liking some guy, but that was par for the course with Vega. Still, Jade was damned if she was not curious why the Latina thought it needed to be such a big secret.

And why Andre was apparently easier to tell than her.

She let out a sharp breath and spun away from the happy couple. She heard Beck shift behind her and the air move just above her shoulder. Wisely, she judged, Beck pulled his hand back before laying it on her.

“Anything up?”

“No.” Her voice was ice and she took a moment to collect her calm. This entire night had her pissed off and, worse, she could not pinpoint why. Which only annoyed her more.

“Yo yo!” She snapped back to attention as the pair she had been stalking ambled up to her and Beck. How had they gotten around to being behind her? Andre looked as friendly as could be, and Jade would never have suspected he had just had a heart to heart with the girl next to him.

“Didn’t expect to see you two here. Together,” Vega said, her tone clipped. Her eyes moved between Jade and Beck, and Jade could not identify the thoughts behind those brown eyes.

“Didn’t expect to be here together,” Jade countered. Vega relaxed almost imperceptibly. Jade cocked her head to the side and looked the singer up and down. Had she lied to Andre about Beck?

“You two see Cat and Robbie?” Andre asked, slipping onto the stool at the end of the booth, leaving an open one between him and Jade. Vega filled it a moment later.

“Look, if you’re all gonna take up my booth, you’re going to buy something.” Jade slid her eyes to the attendant behind the filthy counter. The middle aged man looked thoroughly annoyed at them. Jade’s eyes narrowed.

“We’ll take some fries?” Beck asked before Jade could rip into the man. He nodded and turned to the fryers behind him, grumbling all the while. “And that’s actually why we’re here,” Beck continued, switching his attention back to Andre.

“Stalking?” Vega asked with a smirk.

“Because they asked,” Beck replied with an easy smile.

“They asked you two to stalk them,” Vega deadpanned.

“Robbie was nervous, wanted someone watching his back if something went wrong.” Both Andre and Vega nodded and turned to look at Jade.

“What?” She almost snapped at them. “Cat was terrified about screwing up and would only go if I came with her.”

“I’m still shocked anything happened. She left him high and dry in the Blackbox the other day,” Andre said with a laugh, rubbing his hands together as the attendant slammed down a rack full of the greasiest fries Jade had ever seen.

“Now move along,” the man said in a gruff voice after taking Beck’s cash. The four teens complied, but not without their best glares.

“Cat freaked out too,” Beck explained and grabbed a limp fry Andre offered him.

“Had to calm her down and hold her hand to get her to ask Robbie out,” Jade said with a roll of her eyes.

“You did?” Vega seemed surprised.

“She showed up to my house all panicky, and my mother and I made it worse. Felt guilty, so I helped.” Why was she explaining herself? She never felt the need to explain herself…

“Your mother?” Vega was confused. “I thought—”

“When did your mother get back in town?” Beck interrupted, concern lacing his cool voice. Jade just shrugged, already unnerved at how much she had said. Vega’s intense gaze on her only intensified her discomfort.

“Whoa,” Andre said, holding out an arm to stop them. Jade followed the boy’s gaze and had to agree with his sentiment.

“Aw,” Vega said with a smile.

“Go Robbie.” Beck grinned.

“Gross,” Jade allowed, lip curling at the sight. Cat and Robbie were locked in an embrace, making out without a care in the world. A tiny stuffed cat was clutched in Cat’s one hand that wasn’t grabbing Robbie’s ass.

“I’d say our job’s done,” Beck said with a shrug.

“Goes to show what taking a chance on a crush can do for someone,” Andre said. Jade cut a glance to him in time to see Vega give him a quick, panicked glare. He opened his mouth to say something else, but Vega interrupted him.

 _Curious,_ Jade thought.

“Who’s up for Nozu’s? Karaoke Dokie?” A chorus of agreements of various enthusiasms greeted her and the quartet headed away from the oblivious couple.

The image was burned in Jade’s head, though, and she could not shake it no matter how much she tried to distract her thoughts. Had she and Beck ever been that into each other? To forget the world around them? She tried to think back to when they had first gotten together, but they had been little more than kids. Whatever “passion” they had then was clumsy and awkward, and made her cringe as moments long forgotten came to mind.

She found she was jealous, once again, of _Robbie_ and _Cat_. She shook her head. Was this as far as she had fallen?

“Hey, Earth to Jade?” Jade blinked, snapping back to reality and found Vega giving her a bemused smile. It was the first non-blank expression she had gotten from the girl in over a week and Jade found relief was her most prominent emotion.

What the hell was wrong with her? She never needed anyone. Never wanted anything more than what she could give herself. Something was different now, and it terrified her to the depths of her soul.

“What is it, Vega?” She was grateful that she managed to keep her voice even despite the turmoil in her head.

“The vote’s two to one in favor of Karaoke Dokie. Help me out here?”

“Karaoke Dokie,” Jade declared. Beck and Andre cheered and Vega groaned. The familiarity of it all helped to calm Jade down. If nothing else she refused to lose her cool in front of the others.

“Traitor,” Vega declared with a pout. Jade reached over and poked the girl’s bottom lip back into place. Vega stiffened at the contact.

“Don’t know why you didn’t see that coming.”Jade shrugged. Vega just harrumphed, crossed her arms, and strode ahead of the rest of them.

Jade grinned. _At least some things don’t change,_ she mused and followed the boys away from the fair and toward a night of mediocre music and terrible food.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Oh my, that was a somewhat frustrating one, wasn't it? Jade doesn't have quite the same understanding of herself that Tori does, so trying to write the transition in feelings has been tough, but I think it's getting there. I know I've said it before, but I always find the Tori chapters easier to write. Still hope the Jade ones come through with the same quality!
> 
> So now Andre is aware that Tori knows how she feels because of Andre. That'll hopefully provide something in the way of amusing situations in the future. And don't worry, the week between chapters 5 and 6 and what happened between the two girls will be covered in Tori's next PoV. I never like stories where people figure out they have feelings for someone - especially for someone of the same sex - and then are immediately okay and ready to act on them. People need time to process their emotions, even moreso when it would change their entire outlook on life. I hope I managed to portray that from Jade's PoV being unable to see inside Tori's head.
> 
> In any case, you'll get that next chapter ^_^
> 
> Hope you enjoyed and please review!


	7. One Step Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on FFN. Crossposted to AO3 2/10/2016

Tori gazed into the darkness of her empty locker with a small sense of triumph. There was a single day left until summer break, and, as long as she survived performing her scene with Jade, she had made it through her first year at Hollywood Arts more or less intact.

It was a good feeling.

Her eyes trailed to the inside of the locker door and her mood plunged from almost jubilant back into the mess of confusion and frustration she had been living in for the past few weeks.

Within the first few days of her time at school she lined the locker with pictures of singers, actors, and models she found cute. With her recent discovery of _something_ resembling a crush on Jade, the pictures that she used to just give an appreciative glance to every time she was at her locker now gave her pause. As far as she could tell, she still found the men pictured attractive, but it was somehow _different_ than before.

She chewed her bottom lip and started taking the pictures down, stuffing them in one of the tiny trash bags Lane handed out. Not for the first time since Andre had shattered her reality, Tori pictured Jade against the guys she had always found hot. She felt heat rising in her neck as Jade consistently came out ahead in her mind.

 _This is so weird;_ she thought and tied the bag closed with more force than was strictly necessary.

“All finished Tori?” Tori blinked, coming back to reality to see a bemused Lane waving a hand in front of her face.

“Yeah,” she said, recovering. “All clear.” Lane gave a quick glance to the barren locker and nodded, crossing something off on his clipboard.

“Alright, you’re free to go for the day. Remember that the end of year extravaganza starts tomorrow right after classes, yeah?” Tori nodded and Lane left with a smile and a wave. The extravaganza was all that the others talked about for the past week, and if she missed it she would have to deal with all of them being on her case, and it was better to just tough it out.

Even if she wanted to just get away for awhile to sort out her own head.

She sighed and tossed the bag down the hall, landing in one of the janitor’s trash buckets and barely missing a girl who was hefting her own bag into it. The girl - a short blonde - turned on her heels, eyes wide and lips parted in gasp. _Cute._ The thought came, unbidden, into Tori’s head.

“Sorry!” Tori called out, but the girl just shot her a half hearted glare and stalked off. Tori watched her go with a frown, rating her in her head. She felt like a creep every time she did it, but she _had_ to know whether whatever was going on with her was just Jade or if she had really started batting for the other team.

The results had been mixed at best. Like her fantasies with guys, she tried to imagine doing _things_ with them, and tried to judge how she felt. For as many girls she was relieved she did not find cute, hot, sexy, or any bit attractive, there were just as many that she _did_.

 _I’m such a perv…_ She fought against the blood rushing to her cheeks and _elsewhere_ , but it was a losing battle. Since whenever she thought about anything lately, her thoughts would always go to Jade – no matter the topic. So when her imagination went from her making out with random girl twenty-seven to making out with Jade, she was not shocked when her engine started revving. _I’m so gay,_ she whined to herself.

It amazed her how she could have been so oblivious to her own feelings for so long. She had never really thought about it, but Tori had always assumed that people just _knew_ what they preferred from the get go and that was that. Yet this past week she had been flip flopping so much on whether or not she was attracted to guys or girls that she felt her entire sense of self was in jeopardy of shattering.

She rested her head against the wall of lockers and, for the thousandth time, tried to reason it out. Tori thought back to her past relationships – few as they were- and tried to remember any signs that she should have seen. She came up empty. No matter how long she spent thinking back, she always remembered enjoying everything she did with her boyfriends. Nothing had ever felt wrong to her. _Straight then…_

She sighed and flipped to rest her back against the lockers, eyes scanning her peers in her most nonchalant manner. Guy and girl alike passed by her and Tori – feeling bad every time – judged them by their looks alone. As far as she could tell, there was no difference in the amount of guys and girls she found attractive.

Again.

With a growl she spun and slammed her locker shut with an echoing clang of metal against metal. Ignoring the sudden onslaught of her classmates’ stares, Tori stalked down the hall, cursing her hormones. It would be _so_ much easier if her brain just decided on whether she liked guys or girls.

She considered the possibility that she just liked both sexes just fine, but she did not know if that was even a thing. She did not know a lot about her situation in general, really, and a sudden pang of complete isolation wiped away all of her anger in an instant. She was in desperate need for someone to talk to about this.

Her parents were not even close to being an option. She loved them both – despite everything – but if they freaked out on top of her own panic, Tori could not handle it. Her friends were straight out the window as well. Andre had whittled away her patience until she broke down and told him, and he had been nothing but supportive of her feelings.

Too supportive, really. She felt guilty about it, but Andre treating the whole thing as if it were completely _normal,_ and that wazzed her off just as much as it relieved her. She did not want him to spaz out or anything, but his complete nonchalance put her off.

Which made no sense and just added to the maelstrom of conflicting thoughts, feelings, and ideas that was her life lately.

“Hi hi Tori!” Tori snapped out of her melancholic daze to find her perky redheaded friend bouncing in place with her eyes glued to her phone. Tori rolled her eyes at the sight. Ever since they had gotten together, Cat and Robbie had eyes only for each other. They were in the stage where they texted each other constantly every time they were apart for more than thirty seconds.

At most times Tori would have found it adorable, but she was less than enthusiastic for the two thanks to her own situation. It was a selfish feeling, and so she did her best to hide it from them.

“Hey Cat.” Something in her voice must have sounded off because Cat’s eye darted up from her phone with a frown. Tori readjusted her bag on her shoulder, clutching it like a shield against the redhead’s inquisitive gaze. “How’s Robbie?” She asked, pushing a bit of pep into her voice.

Cat brightened up immediately at her boyfriend’s name. “It’s great! He gave me this flower this morning!” She pointed to a pretty, speckled purple and white flower tucked in her hair.

“Cute.”

“And we’re going to some convention this weekend!”

“Sounds fun,” Tori allowed. Robbie had been going on and on about a convention every now and again for a few months. To be honest she had never really paid attention about it, but Cat seemed excited, so…

“Yup!” Cat declared, swaying on the spot so her skirt waved back and forth. Tori had to smile at Cat’s constant adorableness. “Hey,” the redhead froze and reached a hand to grip Tori’s arm. “Are you going to Erik’s party tomorrow night after the extravaganza?”

“I thought the extravaganza _was_ the party?” Cat shook her head.

“Every year there’s an after party,” she explained. “And everyone goes all out to celebrate summer. Thinking back to some of the rowdier parties she had been to, Tori wondered how much crazier an “all out” party would be. It could be fun.

Or horrible, with her luck of late.

“Yeah, I’ll be there,” she said with a smile. Cat cheered, but Tori could see the girl’s shoulders sag the tiniest bit in relief. Tori knew her friends were worried about her and silently promised to do a better job to assure them that she was alright.

Kind of, anyway.

“Great! We can dance together!” Cat gripped both her hands in Tori’s and tried to spin her in place. Amused, Tori let the smaller girl lead her and twirled underneath the redhead’s lead. “It’ll be great!”

“As long as Robbie won’t get jealous,” Tori teased and pulled Cat close. Cat squeaked in mild protest, but did not resist being pulled flush against Tori’s body.

 _What am I doing?_ She questioned herself a second later, releasing the redhead. Cat giggled and straightened out her clothes. For a fleeting moment she stopped thinking and just _acted_ , and now a fear that Cat could figure her out sprang to mind.

“I don’t think he has anything to worry about…” Cat seemed flustered, but otherwise normal. Tori let out a quiet sigh of relief. “Oh!” Cat held up a pointed finger like she had figured out a great mystery. “Jade told me to tell you to go to the Blackbox after classes right away!” Tori stared in disbelief.

“Classes ended a half hour ago!” She declared, annoyance and panic fighting for control. “And how’d she even book it?” The Blackbox Theater was cleaned and closed for the summer the week before.

“I just forgot until now, and I have no idea,” Cat said, rubbing the back of her head in a sheepish manner.

“She’s going to kill me,” Tori muttered, already preparing for Jade’s guaranteed rant. A smile tugged at her lips as she pictured the brunette in full rant mode – arms crossed, hips leaning to the right, a studded eyebrow raised, and annoyance alive in her green eyes. She supposed it was weird she knew the details that well, but she always did that with people she had a crush on.

 _Totally gay_ , her inner voice declared yet again. For once, she did not feel like arguing with herself and let the thought go unchallenged. She left Cat with a hasty goodbye and booked it through the emptying halls. The theater was on the opposite side of the building, but Tori sped there in under five minutes.

Jade waited on stage, arms crossed, foot tapping, and eyes locked in a glare toward her phone. The door squeaked shut behind Tori and Jade’s gaze snapped up to Tori, eyes narrowing and her studded eyebrow rose in silent demand for explanation. Tori suppressed a smile at predicting the girl’s reaction.

“Cat only just told me,” Tori explained and shrugged off her bag. Jade’s nostrils flared and she stuffed her phone in her satchel bag.

“You didn’t answer any of my texts,” she accused. Biting her lip, Tori fished for her phone and found it dead. Considering it was fully charged that morning, that did not make sense. _Stupid thing_ , she thought as she whacked it when it refused to turn on.

“It’s dead,” she said, pouting. A tick of amusement glowed in Jade’s eyes even as she rolled them.

“Whatever, just get up here so we can go over this again.”

“We’ve practiced every day for over a week now. I think we’ve got it down.” Tori did not mind rehearsing the scene with Jade. In fact, she enjoyed it.

Far too much.

So she tried, and failed, to get out of it as much as she could.

“The lines are good,” Jade allowed, “but the choreography still needs work.”

“Sinjin and Erik are out of their minds.” Tori trudged up to the stage, stretching her arms as she went. After they had all finished writing their scenes, Sikowitz had each pair pull a random title out of his box. Some got lucky and were able to perform their own scenes, but she and Jade had drawn Sinjin and Erik’s scene. It was not as weird as she would have expected coming from Sinjin, and suspected that Erik had an influence on that, but it still had led to some awkward situations.

Honestly though, what self respecting teenagers still cared about professional wrestling enough to write a scene about it for acting class?

Jade took a deep breath and settled into wide footed stance, lowering herself into a half squat with her arms held out in front of her in challenge. “Come at me!” She challenged in a deep, rumbling voice. She looked ridiculous in that pose, but Tori knew better than to laugh. Jade always forgot that she was supposed to _lose_ the fight whenever Tori managed to annoy her.

As fun as it was to push Jade’s buttons, Tori had had her fill of being flipped around for a lifetime.

She rushed forward, stepping with all her weight on her forward foot, and struck forward with her right elbow. Jade’s head snapped back just before contact was made and the dark haired staggered backward, clutching her nose. Two heartbeats passed and Jade regained her footing, fury alight in her eyes.

Tori shivered. Jade’s ability to push emotions into her eyes at any given moment unnerved her.

“Your reign ends tonight,” Tori hissed out in a gruff voice. “I cannot suffer your evil ways any longer!” The hardest part about their scene was keeping in character when the lines were so ridiculous.

“Fool,” Jade spat out the reply and rushed in. Her arms circled Tori’s waist and lifted her off the ground. Vertigo had Tori dizzy, and only her trust in Jade kept her panic at bay. She leaned forward through the grab, flipping over Jade’s shoulder and gripping the girl around her middle, face pressed against Jade’s back. In that moment, all of her senses were filled with nothing but Jade, but Tori knew she could not linger. With a quick steadying breath, Tori pulled her legs out of Jade’s slackened grip and flipped over her shoulder.

She felt a sickening sensation of weightlessness as her only foundation was her grip around Jade’s belly, and held her breath until her feet hit the ground and gave her purchase. With a grunt, Tori released Jade and fell to the side, putting all her weight onto her hands and sweeping her feet out to trip her opponent. Jade performed a convincing flail and fell to the ground with a loud thump.

Tori raced to cover Jade and pinned the girl to the ground. Two moments later and Jade kicked out from beneath her and Tori rolled away and back onto her feet.

“I think we actually got it that time!” Tori said with a grin. She was breathing heavy and she felt the sweat dripping down her face, but she felt proud at finally getting the toughest part of the choreography down.

“Still have half the fight to go, Vega,” Jade observed, but her smile gave her away.

“I’m just happy I didn’t break my neck.” Tori reached a hand to rub the back of her neck, phantom pains from their near misses creeping up.

“I was looking forward to that, actually,” Jade said with a smirk, but there was no malice in her voice. Tori gave the girl her best pout, and her stomach did a flip when Jade’s eyes flicked down to her lips.

“You’d have to drop me.”

“You think I wouldn’t?” Jade asked with an amused grin.

“I know you wouldn’t,” Tori said, sincerity lacing her words. Jade looked taken aback by her complete confidence.

“Pretty brave after the thing with the scissors,” Jade said, flustered. Tori cringed at the memory and reached a hand to trace her arm. The first time they had rehearsed the flip, Jade’s scissors had almost cut Tori when they grappled. Jade had been horrified – an unusual show of emotion from the stoic girl – and Tori trusted that Jade disarmed herself before practicing since then.

“Well,” Tori said after a long moment, and jumped back into character. “Let’s finish this.” Tori finished off the statement with a mock taunting gesture toward Jade, who charged toward her with a smirk. Tori settled onto the balls of her feet and spun away from the other girl just as she would have made contact and she shoved Jade away as she passed by. The writer staggered back a few steps and pretended to bounce off an imaginary rope, charging right back at Tori with her fist raised.

As Jade lunged, Tori leaned back to avoid the blow and brought her knee up into her opponent’s gut. Jade doubled over with an exaggerated groan, and Tori struck with an elbow to the girl’s lower back, dropping her to the floor.

She leaned down to flip Jade over, but the dark haired girl rolled on her own and lashed out with a wild kick. Tori snapped backwards – feeling the air blow across her face as Jade’s foot avoided contact by mere inches – and fell on her butt. Jade lunged and forced Tori flat on her back with a shoulder tackle.

Jade pulled one of Tori’s legs up and covered the rest of her body in a pin. Tori’s breath hitched as she could feel Jade’s own breath tickling against her neck. She counted two and a half beats in her head before she jerked her shoulder up and pushed Jade off of her. She rolled away and regained her feet, breath labored and skin flushed.

She was enjoying this far too much.

“Why won’t you just _stay down?_ ” Jade all but growled out.

“Because as long as I can still breathe, I will fight!” Tori countered with a roll of her eyes. The lines were _really_ bad, but they had to go along with it. Jade ran forward with a battle cry and fist raised back and her body leaning back, ready to swing her full weight into the punch. Tori stepped forward, ducked the powerful blow, and slung her arm around Jade from her right shoulder to her left hip.

A second later they both jumped and fell to the ground, Tori on top. Groaning, she flipped her body over her opponent’s and hit the ground three times.

“Ding ding,” Jade deadpanned from beneath her. Tori leapt off the other girl like she had been shocked, and cursed her own body’s reaction as certain _desires_ settled in her chest and…other places…

“I still say it’s ridiculous,” Tori complained, helping Jade to her feet. The black haired girl shrugged, grimaced, and rolled her shoulders.

“As long as we get that A.” Jade groaned in relief as one of her shoulders popped and Tori’s eyes locked in on Jade’s parted lips. She chewed her own and tried to force her eyes away.

“And if you both do as well as you did here, you will!” Tori just about jumped out of her skin, Jade’s eyes snapped open, and both turned to find Sikowitz leaning against a backstage door – coconut in hand and a straw held between grinning lips.

“What are you doing here?” Jade asked the man, annoyance dripping from her words.

“Oh, I teach here.” Sikowitz informed them and sprung from his seat. “I should ask, what are _you_ doing here?”

“Rehearsing?” Tori ventured, thinking it was perfectly obvious.

“Right, but _why_ here?” Sikowitz asked, holding up his coconut and cocking his head to the side. “The theater’s been closed and off limits for a week.”

“Andre told me he booked it for us as a favor,” Jade explained. Tori’s eyes slid shut and she sent a string of mental curses to her supposed best friend. She needed to get the boy back for his constant “helping.”

“Well,” Sikowitz said, drawing out the word and discarding his coconut. “He didn’t. Which means…” Tori and Jade both groaned. Using the theater without permission usually meant detention. _Detention on the last day of the year. Great…_

“Which means,” Sikowitz repeated. “You’re lucky _I_ found you.” The two girls glanced from their teacher, to each other, and then back again. “Now get out of here.”

“Thanks Sikowitz!” Tori wasted no time in grabbing her stuff and heading toward the exit. Jade followed her halfway out the room before her steps faltered and she turned back toward their acting teacher.

“Wait, Sikowitz?” The balding man paused halfway through the backstage door, and glanced over his shoulder at them. “If the theater is supposed to be empty, why are _you_ here?”

Tori shot her friend a sharp look that went unnoticed by the girl. “Gift horse, mouth? Ring a bell?” She whispered, hoping Sikowitz would not hear. Jade shrugged without taking her eyes off their teacher.

“Well Jade, it’s a long and noble tale. You see-”

“Erwin?” Sikowitz’s eyes snapped shut in a grimace. “Are they gone?”

“Sikowitz...” Jade was smirking, glee lighting up her features. “Are you _with_ someone right now?”

“I--”

“Don’t keep me waiting Erwin!” The woman’s voice was playful, giggling. Tori’s jaw dropped and Sikowitz’s face was getting redder by the second as he glanced between the two girls and the open door behind him.

Jade opened her mouth to speak again, but Sikowitz broke the silence first. “Drive by acting exercise! You two are high school students with the misfortune to forget the last ten minutes as you leave the theater!” Tori stood, dumbfounded by the situation, but Jade just continued to smirk.

“Any chance we can get an A because you saw most of the scene already?” Jade asked, blue-green eyes glinting. “And because, well…”

“Not a chance,” Sikowitz said, dead serious. Jade’s face fell, but Tori just grabbed her hand to get her to move before she could talk their way into major trouble.

“See you in class, Sikowitz!” Tori said, speed walking toward the doors.

“Have fun!” Jade called with a laugh. Tori smacked her free hand against her forehead and didn’t stop walking until they had half the school between them and the theater.

“You know, I think that was my screenwriting teacher,” Jade said once they stopped. She frowned and bounced head from side to side for a moment. “She’s only like twenty-five. Not bad, Sikowitz, not bad.”

“Can we please not talk about this? In fact, can we just forget it happened?

“What?” Jade shot her an incredulous look. “We just caught Sikowitz trying to hook up with another teacher _at school_. This is gold, Vega.”

“Like you want to imagine Sikowitz having sex,” Tori countered, figuring it was best not to beat around the bush.

Jade shrugged. “You’re such a prude.” She yawned and stretched, drawing all of Tori’s attention for the moment. “Point is, we’ve got something on him now. He’ll owe us big for keeping it a secret. We should probably thank Andre for that, actually…”

That reminded her. “I’m going to kill him,” Tori said with a nod as the trekked the empty halls. Jade shrugged, stretching her neck from side to side.

“It’s no big deal. Sikowitz is a total pushover. Andre probably figured nobody would care, and Sikowitz didn’t.”

“Not just that…” Tori muttered, but did not say any more despite Jade’s curious gaze.

It was not until they reached the parking lot that Tori realized that she missed her ride.

“Trina only has one rule…” She whispered, more annoyed than upset.

“You’re late, you have no ride,” Jade supplied, an amused grin tugging at her lips as she twirled her keys around a finger.

“Ride?” Tori asked, casting her best puppy dog look at the other girl. Jade caught her keys and frowned.

“You’re all sweaty…”

“Like you aren’t,” Tori snapped back, but Jade just raised a challenging brow. Tori blinked and took a closer look. Jade’s skin appeared as dry as before they started.

She reached out a hand and pressed the back of it against the exposed skin above Jade’s chest, and it was cool to the touch. “That can’t be healthy.” Tori remembered the time they were all stuck in a camper-turned-hotbox and it took hours for Jade to start sweating. It was disconcerting then and it still was now. Her hand lingered for a few moments under Jade’s amused smirk before she pulled it back and stalked toward the girl’s car.

“You’re going to make me beg, aren’t you?” Jade’s grin turned into a full blown smirk.

“The thought crossed my mind.”

“You’re evil.”

“Only mostly.” Tori once again hit Jade with her best puppy dog looks, and Jade relented with a roll of her eyes. “I swear Vega, you’re lucky I tolerate you sometimes…”

With a bright grin, Tori led the way to the car.

\---

“We’re home!” Trina called out and slammed the door behind her. Tori slipped by the door just before it slammed, eyes locked on her phone. Despite charging all night and her barely using it during the day, the thing was next to dead. “You won’t believe what happened in Sikowitz’s today, but Tori…” Trina trailed off and Tori walked right into her. She glared at the back of her sister’s head, but she caught sight of what had stopped Trina in her tracks before she could rip into her.

“Oh hello girls, how was your last day?” Tori blinked. Not only was her mother home – a rare thing nowadays – but she was also wearing a conservative brown business suit instead of her usual colorful blouse and sweater combo. She snapped shut the flexible briefcase she had slung over her shoulder and smoothed down the front of her clothes. “How do I look?”

“Business-y?” Tori ventured. Trina stayed quiet, but their mother grinned anyway.

“Good, because you’ll never believe it! I called my old friend Derek - the real estate agent, remember?” Tori supplied a noncommittal shrug. The name sounded familiar, but she could not put a face to it.

“Wasn’t he that creepy guy that came around for Christmas when we were little?” Trina asked, nose scrunched up and lips pursed.

“He wasn’t creepy,” her mother admonished, “But yes that’s him. He was in town for the first time in forever yesterday, and I was able to get a hold of him. Long story short, I’ve got my old job back!” Tori was jubilant. All of her parents’ arguments always seemed to boil down to money, and if her mother finally found work…

“That’s fantastic!” She raced over and embraced her mother, who gripped her back with such strength that Tori felt a tiny drop of guilt. She tried to remember the last time she hugged her mother, and grimaced when she came up empty. She made a mental note to try and show the woman more affection.

Even if she was annoyed at her.

“Yeah, fantastic.” Trina was less than enthusiastic; arms crossed and frown deep on her features. Tori raised a curious brow. What was Trina’s problem? “Who else have you told?” For some reason, Tori felt her mother stiffen at Trina’s question. Frowning, the half Latina released her mother and looked between the two. She had the sudden feeling both had forgotten her presence.

“Just you two and your father,” her tone was clipped, defensive. Trina let out a sharp exhale through her nose, nostrils flaring and eyes glowing.

“Of course. I mean, who else would care, right?” Trina was never subtle in her sarcasm, and Tori could feel it dripping off her words in thick torrents. Her mother clucked her tongue against her teeth – something she only did when angry – and Tori had had enough.

“What’s going on here?” Both women looked to her. Trina’s eyes hard and her mother’s worried, but was almost a full minute before either spoke.

“Nothing. Have fun at your job, _Mom_.” With that, Trina spun and stomped toward her room.

“What did you do to her? Steal one of her outfits?” Tori asked, half serious. Trina got mad a lot, but it was always a loud and exploding showcase of screaming and arguing. The condemning, biting, and cold Trina was something new.

“Of course not,” her mother frowned, eyes following Trina all the way up the stairs. “I have no idea what goes on in that girl’s head,” the elder Vega sighed with a shake of her head. Then she and Tori locked eyes for a moment, and a smile broke out on her face. Her mother reached forward and gripped Tori’s upper arms in a light embrace. “At least I have one daughter I can understand! How did your project go?”

Put off by her mother’s mood swing, Tori was slow to answer. “I, er, I sort of knocked Jade off the stage.” Her mother blinked once, twice.

“How?” She sounded like she barely suppressed a laugh. Tori pouted, the memory of everyone in class breaking out in laughter combined with Jade’s wazzed off glare was far too fresh in her mind.

“There was a part of the scene where I was supposed to trip her, and I did…it was just in the wrong direction.” She flinched, remembering how her heart leapt and stomach plummeted at the sight of Jade’s flailing form falling over the short edge. Jade only landed hard on one knee and shoulder, but Tori had been sure in that half a second that Jade would break her neck.

It was not a good feeling.

Jade’s silent anger afterwards only made it worse.

“Did you lose points?”

Tori nodded. “Yeah, but Sikowitz thought it was so funny that he gave us extra credit anyway. We got an A.” That was the one saving grace of her afternoon. “But Jade’s totally wazzed, and when she is—”

Tori was interrupted by her mother’s ringtone. Startled, the older Vega slipped her phone out of her bag and studied the screen for a moment before her eyes widened.

“I’m sorry honey, but I have to go!” She brought Tori into another hug. “I have to meet a client uptown.” The woman practically ran for the front door in her excitement. “I’m sure it will all work out with you and Jade!”

 _If you only knew_ , Tori mused while her mother closed the door behind her. She plopped down onto the couch and stared at everything and nothing. All she wanted to do was go up to her room, change into her comfy pajamas, and snuggle under the sheets for the foreseeable future.

As if reading her thoughts, her phone chose that moment to buzz with an incoming message. A string of silent curses crossed Tori’s mind and she pulled up the pear phone with reluctance.

 _You’re still going to the party, right?_ It was Cat. Tori sighed.

The redhead was on her butt about going out that night ever since the day before. An idle worry crossed her mind that Cat _knew_ , but Tori had not noticed any obvious change from the redhead other than the apparent desperate need to get Tori to go out.

 _Maybe she just thinks you’re lonely?_ Her inner voice supplied. Tori sighed, agreeing that was the case. With a shake of her head she typed up a quick affirmative and sent it off to Cat only to have a return message come moments later, reading _Yay yay!_

“Well,” she said to the empty room and stood with a popping stretch. “Might as well get ready.” She needed to look good, but not _too_ good. She did not want to be obvious about it and give people any wrong ideas, but she could not let herself look like a prude either. It was a fine line to balance on, but it would be worth it.

With a minor miracle and a lot of luck, she might even catch someone’s eye.

Double her pleasure if that someone was Jade.

She scoffed in her head and heaved a long suffering sigh. Maybe this party was just what she needed to get over Jade? She just had to find some guy to take an interest in, and Jade would be yesterday’s news.

Or at least she hoped so.

Yet, two hours later when Trina kicked Tori out of her car at the school’s extravaganza with the promise that Tori was on her own for a ride alter, it was Jade that her eyes scanned for of their own accord. Despite Jade’s relative shortness, Tori spotted her right away with the rest of their friends. She was leaning against the corner of the stage, a drink held loosely in one hand and a bored scowl on her face.

Tori would have enjoyed the familiar sight if not for the small but noticeable amount of space between Jade and the rest of the group. Her heart sank at the sight. If the others were in “don’t annoy Jade” mode, it meant that Jade was still annoyed about the afternoon. Accepting her fate with a sigh, Tori bobbed and weaved through the crowd and presented herself to the group.

“Yo Tori!” Beck was the first to notice her and raised a lazy hand to wave. Cat squealed and snuck out from under Robbie’s arm and hugged her, tight.

“I totally thought you weren’t going to come!”

“I said I was,” Tori said, giving her friend a quizzical look.

“Yeah, but,” the redhead glanced back at Jade, who rolled her eyes and sipped her drink. She did not even look at Tori.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Tori assured before Cat could make it any more awkward than it already was.

“Drink my lady?” Robbie asked, walking up in a half bow. Tori shook her head but grinned at her friend’s antics. He was such a dork.

“Thanks.” She took the solo cup and sipped, grimacing and gagging at the taste.

“Yeah, someone spiked the punch.” Andre said, saluting with his own solo cup before downing its contents. Tori’s lip curled as she looked at the candy red contents of her drink.

“Well, I always like a _little_ punch with my…” She sniffed the drink. “What even is this?”

“It’s rum, Vega,” Jade explained like Tori was a child.

“Well, it’s nasty,” Tori said after taking another sip. The flavors did not mesh at all.

“It gets better,” Jade said, downing her cup and snatching Tori’s. “But it you don’t want yours, I could use the distraction after being _injured_ today.” She moved the cup toward her lips, a taunting brow raised in challenge, and Tori narrowed her eyes.

“It was an _accident_ ,” she said and snatched back her cup. As nonchalantly as she could, she knocked back the drink without breaking eye contact with Jade, only to fail spectacularly when she ended up spluttering and coughing as the liquid burned her throat. The others broke down in laughter and Jade even cracked a genuine smile.

If she was not so annoyed and embarrassed, Tori would have been proud at cracking the girl’s shell.

“No way,” Beck said through laughter, amusement in his voice. “Guys, check it out!” He pointed into the crowd of dancers. Tori scanned the mob and her jaw dropped at the sight.

“I knew it!” Jade called out, victorious. Sikowitz was dancing – well, flailing to the beat of the music – in the middle of a dancing circle, and he was not alone. Ms. Ackerman, the school’s _young_ screenwriting teacher was flailing right along with him.

“Go Sikowitz!” Andre called out, hands cupped around his mouth. Sikowitz raised his fist at the call, and everyone in the crowd cheered. Tori just shook her head, finding the whole thing surreal. The song turned from upbeat to something more slow, and Sikowitz turned offered a hand to Ackerman with a half bow. Giggling, the teacher curtsied and let Sikowitz pull her into an embraced dance.

“Isn’t she like twenty-three?” Robbie asked, eyes locked on their teachers.

“ _Yeah she is_ ,” Andre said, snickering.

“Good for Sikowitz,” Beck said, taking another swig of his drink with a satisfied sigh.

“I think it’s sweet,” Cat said, hands running through her crimson locks and a small smile on her lips. Robbie shook from his daze and turned to his girlfriend, mimicking Sikowitz’s bow. Cat giggled, blushed, and took Robbie’s hand.

“I’m going to be sick,” Jade’s nose scrunched up in distaste.

“Cut them some slack,” Beck said. “Robbie’s new at this, and Cat likes all that sappy stuff, doesn’t she?”

“She eats it up,” Tori agreed. “Jade’s just jealous because nobody’s being silly for her.” The moment the words left her mouth Tori regretted them as the atmosphere chilled. Both Beck and Jade tensed up, and Andre looked mildly panicked. “Oh guys, I’m sorry, I—”

“Dancing!” Andre clapped his hands and grabbed Tori by the arm. Tori did not resist being pulled away, a blush rising to her cheeks.

“I’m an idiot,” she muttered.

“Without a doubt,” Andre agreed; stopping and pulling her into a respectful position. Tori could not even muster up a glare. They started swaying to the music and Tori fought the urge to keep her eyes locked on her feet. “I’ve seen a lot of people put their foot in their mouths, but you’ve got a talent for it _chica_.”

“I know,” Tori whined, head hanging.

“Next time you try to do that argue flirting thing with Jade, you should hold back a punch or two.” Tori gaped and Andre grinned.

“I was not flirting!” She defended.

“Yeah, that’s the problem.”

“I…you…” Tori was speechless.

“Seriously though,” Andre continued as if he did not notice Tori’s discomfort. “If you want to get with Jade, we’re going to have to step up your game.”

“ _We?_ ” Tori asked, incredulous. Andre nodded with a wide grin.

“Nobody knows how to pick up girls better than me,” He boasted, poking her lightly in the side. “Jade’s a tough one, but I’m Beck’s best friend. He told me some… _things_.” He waggled his eyebrows and Tori shook her head.

“Andre…” She took a breath, trying to figure out what to say to talk him down, but he kept talking.

“I mean, I’ve set you up enough times the last few weeks. How’d you like having the theater all to yourselves?”

“Stop,” Tori’s stomach dropped and her heart sped up even as Andre’s face fell. He was just trying to help, she knew, but she still felt…angry?

“What?” He asked, his features betraying his worry.

“Stop,” she repeated and tore her eyes away from his. She took a deep breath, unsure of what to stay. “I know you’re just trying to look out for me, but you’ve got to stop.”

“Why?” There was an edge to his voice that had not been there before. “You’ve been miserable ever since Yerba and the only time I’ve seen you smile – _really_ smile – have been around Jade. I didn’t put it together until you told me, but that only made it make _sense_.” His hands were gripping her hips tightly as he tried to catch her eyes with his own.

“I just…” Tori squeezed her eyes shut, a sudden lightheadness hitting her. _How strong was that drink?_ “What you think I want is wrong,” she declared, voice hard.

“Bullshit,” Andre countered, not giving ground. Tori flinched. “You _told_ me you had a crush on Jade.” Tori’s eyes widened and she looked around in a panic to see if anyone overheard. Nobody seemed to pay them any attention. _Thank you Sikowitz,_ she thought as she spotted her acting teacher performing some odd dance with jerky movements that drew most of the crowd’s attention. “If you don’t want her, then you lied to me,” Andre accused.

Silence fell between them heavy and thick. Tori stared into her friend’s eyes as they swayed to the beat. Expectation, frustration, and curiosity were reflected in their dark depths, and Tori searched for the words that would set this right.

“I…don’t want to _want_ her,” she admitted. Even as the words left her mouth, a weight lifted off her shoulders. All of her doubts, confusion, and frustration from the past few weeks expressed in a simple sentence. Andre’s eyes softened, but Tori continued. “It’s weird and _wrong_ and I don’t know where it came from, but it doesn’t feel like me. And it’s terrifying…”

She trailed off, wondering why the words were spilling out now.

“Hey,” Andre’s voice had gone soft, his hands trailing up to grip her shoulders. “It’s _not_ wrong.” He was emphatic.

“It _is_ ,” she almost shouted back, keeping her volume in check only because of where they were. “I like _boys_. I still do! I’m not supposed to have a crush on a girl. I’m not supposed to like girls, _period_.” She reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose and screwed her eyes shut, trying to gather some semblance of composure. When she opened her eyes again, she found nothing but sympathy from Andre, and it was almost too much. “And you’re treating it like it’s _normal_ , and I just don’t know how to handle.”

There, it was all out there now. Tori took small, quick breaths to try to keep the tears she could feel at the back of her eyes at bay. She did not know what it was about Andre that drew everything out of her, but there was nothing she could do about it now.

“It is normal,” Andre declared once more. “Guys, girls, it doesn’t matter.” Tori shook her head. It _did_ matter to her. She would never judge anyone on their preference, truly, but _she_ was supposed to be straight. She had never liked anything but guys before, and her entire world had been thrown out of balance by the Jade situation.

And that could _not_ be normal.

“It _is_ ,” Andre implored. “There’s nothing wrong with you. So what if you like a girl? It’s not the end of the world.”

“It feels like it,” Tori admitted. Did that make her a horrible person? A hypocrite? She had no idea anymore.

“I guess it has to feel really weird,” Andre said. “But it doesn’t change the fact that you feel it. You know,” Andre cocked his head to the side like he was trying to remember something complicated. “My grandma used to tell me that if you felt something, you should never run away from it, no matter what it is.”

“She used to give a lot of advice, before she lost her mind,” Tori said in a half hearted joke.

“Oh, that was way after she started losing her mind,” Andre said with a wry grin. _Gee_ , Tori thought, _makes me feel a ton better_. “But it’s still good advice.”

“I don’t want to feel the way I do,” Tori repeated, but she was fighting a losing battle and the words lacked conviction.

“But you do,” Andre concluded. “And there’s no use ignoring it.”

“But—”

“Real talk?” Andre interrupted before she could shoot out another round of excuses. “No matter what you do, just make sure you’re doing it for this,” he poked her in the chest above her heard. “Instead of this,” he flicked her in the forehead, earning a glare.

“It’s not easy.”

“Never said it would be.” Tori sighed and shook her head. She felt…better. Still confused, terrified, and inexplicably crushing on a girl that she used to almost hate, but overall better.

“I think I need another drink.” Her joke earned a rueful chuckle from Andre. “When did you get so good at this?”

“I have no idea what I’m doing.” Andre shrugged with his patented infectious smile. _Liar,_ Tori thought, but let it go. “I just don’t think too much and follow my instincts. Tends to work out, especially with the ladies.” He winked, and Tori rolled her eyes.

“Mind if I cut in?” Their classmate Erik interrupted them; green eyes bright and cheeks rosy. Andre gave her a questioning glance and she shrugged. After the heavy talk she could use a mindless dance or two.

“Sure. See you later Tor?” She nodded, and Andre handed her off to the other boy just as another slow tempo song started up. Erik’s hands found their way to her hips with a strong grip and his eyes locked on hers. Tori laid gentle hands on his shoulders and he started to lead her in a slow, spinning dance with a grin.

“You guys put on a great show in Sikowitz’s today,” he said with casual interest. Tori cringed.

“I don’t think Jade thought so.” Erik chuckled and Tori frowned. That was not supposed to be funny.

“Well, she’s had that sort of thing coming. Karma, you know?” He was grinning at her expectantly.

“I don’t think it works that way,” Tori said, a shard of ice in her tone. Erik’s smile faltered for a moment. “And Jade got really wazzed off.”

“I guess it’s my fault, really, since it was my scene. But you both did great making the choreography worked.”

“Thanks,” Tori deadpanned. They had messed it up completely.

“I’ll have to make it up for you later, yeah? You going to be at the party?”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Tori said as the song came to a close. Politely as she could, she pulled away from Erik’s grip before the next tune could begin.

“See you there, then,” He said with another wide grin.

“See you there,” Tori waved and weaved through the crowd to the edge the dance floor. An arm circled around her shoulder as soon as she broke away from the crowd, and she tensed until she realized it was Jade who had embraced her.

Then she tensed more.

“Getting comfy with the blond jackass, eh?” Jade asked with a snort.

“It was just a dance,” Tori said and ducked away from Jade’s grip. It _really_ was not what she needed right now. She headed straight for the refreshments table and the giant bowl of mind numbing punch that was calling her name.

“I think he likes you,” Jade continued, keeping pace with Tori.

“I kind of got that.” Tori snapped out the reply as she poured herself a drink. She gulped half of it down with a deep grimace. It truly tasted awful, but the lightheaded and free feeling made her feel better.

“So, you going to hook up with him?” Jade leaned against the table, eyes on the sky. Tori would have been upset at the accusation, but she just did not have the energy after her talk with Andre.

“No,” she said, settling for a simple reply.

“Good,” Jade said with a nod. Tori cast a sharp eye to the other girl, but Jade’s expression gave nothing away. Did that mean…? “He’s a jackass and you can do better.”

“Thanks?” Tori asked more than said; her hopes – and fears - deflated. Jade nodded her acknowledgment. Tori shook her head and drained her drink, refilling it quickly even as the fog rolled in.

“You still going to his party?” Jade asked. Tori looked back out on the dance floor and spied Erik dancing with another girl. Judging from their closeness and their grins, he was flirting with her as well. Tori was not bothered.

“No,” she found herself saying despite her promise to Cat. “Actually,” she drained her freshly filled cup in three long gulps. Jade looked mildly impressed. “I’m going to find Trina and make her bring me home.” Her talk with Andre had been draining, and she thought she was finally ready to start making peace with whatever was going on with her.

“Don’t bother, I saw her a little while ago. Three sheets to the wind.”

“Great…” She hung her head. The buses would take at least a few hours to get her home. With a heavy sigh she resigned herself to her fate.

“Don’t be so melodramatic, Vega,” Jade said, setting down her drink. “I’ll give you a lift.”

“But,” Tori eyed the solo cup Jade had put down.

“Just water. I don’t drink cheap rum.” Tori pouted, realizing she had been played earlier. “Come on, let’s get your drunk ass home.”

“I’m not drunk!” Tori shouted, indignant. “If anything, everything’s clearer now than ever!”

“Sure it is,” Jade said with a chuckle. “Come on, Tori…”

\---

“Either of your parents home?” Jade asked in a whisper. Tori giggled and twirled around, checking the driveway and street once again.

“I don’t think so,” she said, finishing her spin and stumbling. Jade rolled her eyes and gripped Tori’s right arm to give her stability.

“Good, wouldn’t want them to see you like this,” Jade muttered. She took Tori’s keys and unlocked the front door.

“It’s sweet that you’re so worried about me.” Jade snorted.

“Hardly. If your parents caught you this drunk with me, my ass would be grass.”

Tori furrowed her brows. “What does that even mean?”

“I’d be screwed,” Jade summed up succinctly, guiding Tori into the house. “And I don’t like you enough to deal with that.”

“Yes you do,” Tori said without hesitation as Jade led her to the couch. Tori fell back into it with a satisfied sigh, marveling at how soft and comfy the piece of furniture was.

“Yeah, probably,” Jade grumped, sinking into the seat next to her. The change in weight on the couch sent Tori off balance and she laid her head on Jade’s shoulder, giggling.

“I totally kicked your ass today,” Tori said with a smile, their closeness reminding her of the ‘fight.’

“Only because the scene said you were supposed to.”

“I could do it for real, too.” Tori did not know why she said it, but the words came out of their own accord. Jade burst out laughing.

“Please, Vega. You would never touch me.”

“Would so,” Tori said, poking Jade in the side, causing the girl jump in her seat. “See, touched you!” She teased.

“Doesn’t count,” Jade countered, and pushed Tori off of her. Still giggling, Tori fell all the way onto her side opposite from Jade. “Christ Vega, it takes nothing to get you hammered.” She helped Tori back into a seated position.

“Could still be you,” Tori challenged, and pushed Jade again. The dark haired girl caught her by the wrist and raised a challenging brow. Tori shot out her other hand, intent on poking Jade in the stomach, but that one was captured as well.

With a gentle shove, Jade sent Tori backwards on the couch, her arms extended above her head, trapped in Jade’s strong grip. Tori ended up flat on her back, arms overhead, with Jade leaning over her – close enough to feel the girl’s breath caress her cheeks.

“Still think you could take me, Vega?” Jade asked with an amused smirk.

“You only beat me because I’m a little tipsy,” Tori declared. Jade snorted.

“And I’m a _little_ mean to people.”

“Dunno why, you’re totally nice.”

“No I’m not. I scare people.”

“You don’t scare me.”

“Really Vega?” Jade tightened her grip on Tori’s wrists and pulled them higher above her head. Tori knew she would not be able to move, no matter how hard she tried, but that realization did not scare her.

It almost…thrilled her?

“Really,” she breathed out in a low, husky tone. Jade was only inches above her now, and Tori’s eyes focused on the other girl’s lips. They were an interesting shade of red, and she had an overwhelming urge to know what they tasted like.

“Andre says I should follow my heart…” She muttered, eyes not leaving the lips that enthralled her so.

“What’s that supposed to—” Without thinking about it, without wondering what the consequences were, without questioning whether it was right or wrong, Tori raised her head and locked her lips to Jade’s.

It was warm, wet, soft, wonderful, scary, hot, amazing, and _right_. Jade did not move for a heart stopping second, but her lips were soon moving against Tori’s – heated and heavy. In that moment, everything in the world made sense.

Until Jade pulled away.

Breathing heavy, Tori watched in silent trepidation as Jade’s recoiled off of her and to the other end of the couch. The girl’s eyes were wide, almost panicked, as a hand reached up to her lips.

Jade raised that hand in front of it, as if she expected an answer to be written in her palm. Her green blue eyes – the same eyes that haunted Tori’s daydreams – looked back and forth from Tori to that hand with a disbelief that terrified Tori.

“Jade,” she said, breaking the silence and reaching a hand toward her crush. Jade snapped out of her daze and leapt from the couch away from Tori. Shaking her head without saying a word, Jade raced from the Vega home without even bothering to close the door behind her.

Anger, sadness, terror, disappointment, grief. They were all emotions Tori knew she should have been feeling. In that moment, though, as she stared at the space Jade had been moments before, Tori felt nothing.

What had she done?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Boom! Tori's gone and tried to initiate Jori to some interesting results. Hope you all enjoyed the buildup and payoff that was this chapter. I had a terribly difficult time trying to convey Tori's reluctance to admit her feelings, her confusion as to her own sexuality, and her ability to put that all out of her mind and just focus on her feelings for Jade. I really really hope it came off as realistic. I did some research through a few of my friends and other resources about how they handled the realization that they were gay or bi, and that fed heavily into how I portrayed Tori here.
> 
> I see a lot of stories that have the characters instantly okay with being gay/bi, and that's all well and good, but I feel like there's a bit of shattering reality when it comes to figuring out that something so wrapped around your identity as being attracted to one sex or the other that it needed to be dealt with. I tried to incorporate different views of handling said realization, and I can only hope I did it justice. Your thoughts?
> 
> I'm debating whether next chapter will be a Jade chapter or a special chapter that will have PoV's from the rest of the cast. Either way it'll cover the same events, but the perspective will be vastly different. I kind of like the idea of keeping you guys out of Jade's head for the immediate aftermath, but I also feel like that's pretty evil considering how I ended this chapter.
> 
> Anywho, I hope you guys really enjoyed the first major climax of the story. As always, I gratefully thank those of you who've reviewed so far, and I look forward to hearing your reactions to the latest chapter!


	8. Two Steps...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on FFN. Crossposted to AO3 2/10/2016

It _hurt_.

Her knuckles were white, a stark against the black leather of her steering wheel. Her chest heaved in ragged breaths while her entire body shook. Her vision was blurry, and something wet was tracing down her cheeks.

Anger. She should be angry.

She growled and tried to feel the familiar emotion. It drove her, day in and day out, but it just was not there. She felt empty.

No, that was wrong. She felt betrayed.

She was just fucking around with Vega, and the other girl took advantage of it and _assaulted_ her.

Why wasn’t she mad?

“Fuck,” she said, hating how strained her voice sounded in the silence of the car. It chilled her to the bone.

The feel of Vega’s lips against hers – so insistent and needy with a rush of intense heat – was seared into Jade’s mind, and her head refused to put it out of mind. Her tongue flicked across them, tasting cheap punch and cheaper rum. She huffed.

“Get the hell out of my head.” It was no use as it played again and again and _again_.

It should not have been such a big deal. It was just a kiss. One drunken girl acting without thinking was nothing unusual. It happened all the time, and always made for the best stories. Vega probably had no idea what she was doing and just reacted…

But that was wrong. The sheer terror Jade had seen in Vega’s eyes in the split second before she bolted out the door had been too real. It was half the reason she ran away in the first place. Seeing Vega completely open and vulnerable would have put her off at the best of times, but being the _reason_ for it?

 _It was just a fucking kiss_ , she repeated in her head with a mental snarl. _Why am I freaking out?_

“What the fuck did you do to me, Vega?” Despite everything, the last week had had things looking up. Cat and Robbie were annoying but tolerable, she and Beck had found a balance when together with friends, and she and Vega had patched things up. Hell, things were going well enough that even her mother’s sudden onslaught of overbearing mother-ness was easy enough to deal with because of everything else going well.

And Vega had to just go and screw it up.

She smacked the steering wheel in frustration. There was no way such a simple thing should have so much of an effect on her, but it _did_. She let Vega in, dropped her guard, and Vega took advantage.

She shook her head, unable to reconcile what she knew of Vega and the magnitude of her reaction. Vega did not have a single malicious bone in her body, which meant that she was not trying to just mess with her.

And that just opened an entirely new realm of terrifying possibilities.

 _Vega wants to get with me._ She toyed with her bottom lip, unsettled. Saying it in her head did not make it any less off putting. She was in completely uncharted waters here, and she had no idea what she was supposed to do. She was the one to initiate things with Beck years before. She chose when and how to do it and it had hardly been a surprise to either one of them…

And that bothered her more than the fact that it was _Vega_ that had kissed her.

Vega was only the second person she ever let in, and just as her guard was low, the half Latina pounced. A chill ran up Jade’s arms as the event played fresh once again in her mind’s eye. She _hated_ not being in control, and hated it more that someone she trusted put her in this situation.

And since when was Vega gay? She was supposed to be that girl that only went with the jackass of the month. Ryder, Stephen, Danny, they all had one thing in common…

Jade blinked, and the conversation she overheard Andre and Tori having came back, snapping pieces of the puzzle into place. _I’m Vega’s secret crush._ Jade let out a humorless laugh at that realization, but then narrowed her eyes. That meant that Andre _knew_ , and he spent the last week trying to get Vega and her alone, which made a whole lot of sense, now.

Then again, if Andre was trying to help Vega get with her, did that mean he actually thought the Latina had a chance?

She would have select words to share with the musician the next time she saw him. Starting with an emphatic: _I’m not gay, dumbass_.

Tori’s lips on hers, rough and desperate, and the torrent of emotion that came with them, along with the instant response to fight or flight stood out in her mind.

She growled, hands squeezing the wheel. _No_ , she denied the thoughts. They were just an instinctual reaction, nothing more.

Taking a deep breath, she gathered herself and focused on the road she was driving down for the first time. She let out an exasperated sigh when she realized where her autopilot had taken her. A familiar house was ahead on her right, a trailer parked in its driveway.

She put on the brakes, and toyed with her lips in indecision. After a few moments of staring at the aging hunk of metal, she pulled into the driveway and killed her engine. She gathered herself with a few deep breaths before she trudged toward the RV, trying to think of what she was going to say. Her knock echoed through the night, and she waited with baited breath. It was still pretty early. Would he still be at the party, or…?

The door swung open and Beck was standing there, surprised, with a sheen of drunkenness shining in his eyes. A silence, awkward and heavy, fell between them. As the moments drew on, Jade through reason and caution to the wind and pounced on the boy. She sought the familiarity and ease of times past, and her lips found his. His eyes were wide, she saw before her own fluttered clothes, but she paid it no mind. It was a familiar process, moving her lips against his for a few seconds before his parted and she could slip her tongue between them.

“Jade,” he mumbled around her tongue and lips, out of breath as she pushed him back into the trailer. She grinned against his lips, sensing the victory she had savored so often in their relationship. “Jade,” he tried again, voice growing bolder as she pushed him back onto his bed, lips leaving his only long enough to draw a quick breath. It was nice, but something was missing. With a frustrated growl, she pressed forward, seeking the fire that used to drive her wild.

“Jade!” His voice was sharp, aggressive, and his hands found her shoulders. He pushed her off him and Jade drew a sharp breath, put off. His eyes were full of lust, a need she knew too well, but most of all, there was sadness. “We can’t do this.”

Her heart sank and the world crashed around her. “Why not?” She snapped out the question and Beck recoiled as if struck.

“You know why,” he said, sliding away from her on his bed, breathing heavy. He ran a hand through his long locks and refused to look at her.

“ _No I don’t!”_ She hissed out the words, tears stinging at the corners of her eyes. Everything would be so much easier if he would just shut up and _take_ her like he used to – make her feel the fire that had been gone for so long.

“You know I was serious about us,” he said, still not looking at her. Her breath hitched and she dropped her face into her palms. The moment was broken, and she felt the cold dose of reality set in. _What am I doing?_ She took long, steady breaths, but she could not manage to calm down. There was no heat between them anymore, and there had not been for weeks before they had broken up, and the weeks since had not made it better. No matter how much she wanted to, there was no way she could pretend that there was still something there. Beck would not let it happen, either.

Long minutes of silence ticked between them, the only sounds in the small trailer were their recovering breaths. Jade pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, curling into a ball. It was ironic; she supposed that this was the only place she felt comfortable enough to let down her guard – even just a little.

Beck gave her a long, studying stare that made her want to run from the trailer without looking back. Instead she shrank further into herself. _What’s wrong with me?_ She was stronger than this, she tried to convince herself. _This isn’t a big deal._ She just had to let Vega down and then she could move on with life as normal, she _knew_ that.

“So…what’s up?” Beck asked, trying to sound casual. Jade let out a chuckle, unable to help herself. She buried her head in her knees and tried to just forget the world around her. Everything had gotten so screwed up in just a few hours, and she did not want to deal with any of it. “Talk to me, Jade.”

“Everything’s wrong,” she growled out. Her voice was on the verge of breaking, but she did not care how she sounded. This was _Beck_ , and if there was anyone in the world that could deal with her at her extremes, it was him. “Vega’s gone crazy, Andre’s helping her, and I’m right there with them.”

“Okay,” Beck said, drawing out the word. “Care to explain that to those of us not in the know?”

Taking a deep breath, Jade tried to explain the situation to him. From Vega’s full frontal assault with her desperate kiss to what she figured out about Andre’s part in the ordeal to her own freaking out, she laid it bare to her ex. A part of her was screaming at her for trusting someone who had broken her heart with this information, while another knew there was nobody else in this world who knew her as well as the boy sitting beside her.

“Wow,” was all he said after she finished her rant. She shot him an exasperated glance and he grimaced. “I mean, I…wow.” He shook his head and Jade turned away from him, feeling worse. “I would never have pegged Tori for being…well…”

“Neither would I,” Jade said humorlessly. Her fingers traced her lips for the millionth time that night, and the feel of Vega’s kiss was still fresh as if it happened moments before.

“And Andre was in on it?” Beck looked put out. “How long do you think?”

“No idea,” she bit out. Beck heaved a sigh and reached a tentative hand to her shoulder.

“So why are you freaking out so much? You never had any problem telling anyone off before.” She could hear the smirk in his voice and it pissed her off almost enough to distract her. Clever boy. “I mean, just because it’s Tori this time shouldn’t change –“

“It _does_ ,” she all but shouted. “I let her _in,_ don’t you get it?” Her breaths were heaving, but she pressed forward. “It’s _your_ fault,” she accused, finger raised between his eyes. “You left me all vulnerable and crap and I opened up to her.” She grimaced, recalling the night after the breakup. “And she kept getting under my skin, you know.” Day after day, Vega was just _there_ with her damned smile and idiotic ‘all was right with the world’ mentality. “She was always just _there_ , ready to piss me off with her naïve little girl routine.”

“Jade…”

“Didn’t matter what happened or what I did. She would show up to take my shit or make me feel better.” She was in full rant mode now. “Just building up the trust, you know. I should have seen this coming. Nobody ever wanted anything from me that I couldn’t pay back in a very specific way.”

“Jade,” Beck grabbed her by the shoulders, eyes emphatic. “It sounds like –”

“Sounds like what?” She wrenched her shoulders from his grasp and turned away from his eyes – so full of emotion that terrified her. “That I was an idiot who thought I could open up to someone without worrying about the consequences? Vega was probably just biding her time until she could figure out a way to humiliate me to get me back for all the shit I gave her when she first showed up.” Jade took a deep breath. That made sense, and she could deal with that…

“You know that’s not true.” Beck’s hand found its way to hers and he gripped it in a firm hold. She tried to pull away, but he held it fast. Her eyes met calm, concerned brown and her breath hitched. They weren’t supposed to look at her like that anymore. “You _know_ Tori would never think of something like that.”

“What else then!?” She shouted at him, yanking her hand away. She stood and strode to the door, hand turning the knob before she could think.

“Jade!” Beck’s tone was sharp, angry, and it froze Jade in place. He _never_ used that tone with her before. “Sit down, breathe, and _listen_.” Numb, she followed his instructions, plopping back onto his bed, head bowed and dreading what he had to say.

“I don’t know what’s actually going on with you and Tori,” he started with a shrug. “But whatever it is, you know she’s not messing with you, right?”

“How can you know that?”

“Because I know Tori, and you know her better than I do.” She opened her mouth to retort, but snapped it shut after a moment’s thought.

“Doesn’t make it better,” Jade mumbled, pressing her palms into her temples. “What do I do?”

“Depends,” Beck said, tossing a cautious arm around her shoulder. “How do you feel about her?”

“Seriously?” She shot him a baleful glare. Beck just shrugged, looking all the world an innocent bystander.

“Hey, I don’t judge,” Beck said with a typical half grin.

“Judge yourself.” Jade groaned and buried her head between her knees.

“Only sometimes,” he said with a half smirk. “But I’m serious. The way you make it sound…” He trailed off, grimacing.

“The way I make it sound,” she repeated, drily.

“You said it yourself,” he repeated. “You let her in. You _don’t_ let anyone in unless…”

She narrowed her eyes. “You’re the only person I ever let close to me.”

“Exactly.”

“Say what you want to say, Beck,” she said with a sigh. She rubbed her temples, knowing what he wanted to suggest and hating him for it. It should not have bothered her, really, a simple denial would take care of it, but she found that she could not bring herself to make such a final statement.

“Do you like her back?” There it was, and it struck Jade like a bat to the chest. _No_ , the world would be so much simpler if she could utter that single phrase, but, as she opened her mouth, the sound refused to form. “Because everything you said, well…”

“Say it,” she said, voice on the verge of breaking. She knew his answer before he spoke up, and it scared her far beyond what simple words should have been able to.

“It sounds like you are, and you’re just mad that she made the first move.” The words were spoken, and Jade stared at the one bare spot in Beck’s trailer- between the posters of actors in their primes and various record covers – and tried not to think about it. “I mean, everything you’ve said has been about Tori moving first, rather than her actually doing anything, and –“

“It doesn’t matter,” Jade argued. “She took advantage of me!”

Beck scoffed. “This is Tori,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “I don’t think she could take advantage of someone if she wanted her to.” Jade growled, but the boy was unaffected. “All I’m saying is that if she made a move, it’s because she feels something real.”

“And how the hell am I supposed to deal with that?” Jade countered, arms crossing her chest and hugging herself tight. “I _can’t_ feel the same way about her.”

“Why not?” Beck asked, not meeting her eyes. Jade gaped at him. Was he serious? He should _know_ her!

“I’m not gay!”

“Then what’s the problem?”

His utter calm unnerved her, and she could not come up with an immediate answer. Instead, she sat in silence trying to reason through her lack of definitive answer one way or the other. For Beck, it seemed, that was all the answer that he needed.

“So, what _do_ you feel about Tori?”

“She’s Vega,” Jade said without heat. She was tired, and not in the mood to keep arguing. “Stupid, naïve, smiley, helpful, friendly, idiotic, and too friendly for her own good.”

“All pretty accurate,” Beck agreed with a nod. “But how do _you_ feel about her?”

Jade shot him her best death glare, but his gaze never wavered. What the hell was up with him? He had always picked his battles carefully when they were together. Why did he choose this moment to wage one?

“If you don’t feel anything for Tori, you can just let her down and move on.” The last few weeks flashed through her head. Every act of kindness, every moment of weakness, and every memory of Tori just being _Tori_ nagged at her attention, and she let her head sink between her knees. She mumbled her answer, muffled by her legs, and she just knew Beck would be smirking.

“What was that?” His voice was not quite singsong, but she would still pay him back, eventually.

“Because it’s not that simple,” she repeated. From the moment she broke up with Beck, Jade found that her life became a directionless purgatory. Beck became her rock, the only solid foundation she relied upon to keep her grounded and focused on her ultimate goals. The day they split was the day it was ripped from beneath her feet, and she should have hated him for it.

But she _understood_ – even agreed – and only cursed the existence of Yerba in her weaker moments. Latching onto Vega like a life raft seemed so convenient at the time when she was like to drown on her own. Yet the peppy Latina wormed her way past Jade’s defenses and Jade was only just starting to realize how _far_ the girl had gotten. It terrified her.

Yet a small, thrilling tingle ran up her spine at the thought.

Her eyes once again found Beck’s, patient and unassuming. There used to be such electricity between them. Young as they were, they fumbled and were awkward and had no idea what they were doing, but it had still been there. Time only ever made it stronger.

Until Yerba.

It faded fast and died with the whimpering end to their relationship. It amazed her, really, that everything they had disappeared so quickly. Was that why she had come here, she wondered; to try and find that old fire?

Her hands balled into fists, scrunching the fabric of her shirt. There was nothing. Not even a hint or an echo of their former passion.

Vega’s kiss, though… She breathed a drawn out breath, calming her mind before it jumped away from the subject again. She forced away the torrent of conflicting thoughts and emotions and just _remembered._ She bit her lip as she again pictured the moment Vega had locked her lips on Jade’s – it was all so _vivid_.

Surprise, confusion, pleasure, enjoyment, terror. The process of her reaction – so fast when it had actually happened – played itself out in her head. She let out a shaky breath now that she was finally putting things together.

She came here to deny it, she realized. To feel something by being with Beck again would make what happened with Vega nothing extraordinary. The boy sat next to her, still quiet and staring at nothing in particular, and she wished that it would have worked. It was Vega and not the act itself that had spurred her reaction.

“I wish it could just be simple,” she murmured and fell sideways onto the bed, burying her face in a pillow. She had an idle thought about what it would have looked like to someone who knew her by reputation only. The fearsome Jade West cowering into a pillow? She laughed at the thought, but did not let it bother her. There was only Beck here, and he had seen it all.

A tentative hand rested on her shoulder, the barest amount of pressure saying everything about Beck’s own insecurity. “What’s the verdict?” His quiet voice broke the quiet after a few moments more.

“I don’t know,” She said. A chill passed through her and Beck’s grip tightened the slightest amount. “Can I stay here tonight?” His hand pulled away, lightning quick.

“Jade…”

“Not for that,” she said, rolling over and looking at him without bothering to hide just how _tired_ she was. “I just… don’t want to go home right now.” He stared into her eyes for an excruciating amount of time. If he said no, she would just crash in her car, she reasoned. Avoiding her mother and all of incessant, never ending questions about _everything_ was priority tonight. She could not deal with that on top of everything else.

“Fine,” Beck said with a sigh, hand running through his hair. She allowed him a small smile and turned to her side, staring at the wall. Beck took the hint, and she felt his weight leave the bed. A moment later the light clicked off and she heard him settle into his chair across the trailer. “G’night,” he whispered.

She did not answer.

\---

“Pick up your fucking phone, Vega.” Jade grinded her teeth and tapped her foot to an irregular rhythm. It was mid-morning now, and Vega never slept in. Which meant the Latina was ignoring her calls. And after the roller coaster the singer had put Jade through, she had no patience for games today.

“Most people would probably take a day to give each other some space,” Beck said, leaning against her car with a bemused expression. She pressed her thumb against the end call button harder than necessary and cut an annoyed look his way.

“Since when am I most people?” The longer this _thing_ with Vega went ignored, the less sane she was going to be. She tapped Vega’s name again and pressed the PearPhone to her ear. It rang once and went straight to Vega’s voicemail. Again.

“You think she’d get the hint after the first dozen calls,” Beck said, looking off into thin air. Her annoyed gaze turned into a glare, but he shrugged it off. She sniffed in her best attempt at haughtiness and slipped her phone back into her bag.

“You try.” Back raised a brow, challenging.

“If she won’t answer for you then—hey!” Jade reached into his front right pocket, where he always kept his phone, and grabbed it before he could object. She found Vega under the contacts and hit it, using her free hand to keep Beck at arm’s length. He was not trying too hard to take it back, and she appreciated it.

The phone rang once, then to voicemail. She growled and shoved the phone back to her ex without bothering to end the call. She started striding towards Beck’s parents’ house, feeling it as a challenge now.

“Jade!” He caught her arm and turned her. She adopted her most dangerous glare, but he refused to back off.

“If she’s not answering for you or me, she won’t pick up a strange number.” His reasoning was sound, but she still felt the need to go use the house phone. “She probably just wants time to think.”

“It’s _Vega_ ,” Jade drawled. “She’s panicking.” Over thinking everything, more likely, but she needed to make her point.

“Point,” he allowed, releasing her. “But you’ve got to let her work thought it.”

“She started this,” she snapped. “She’s a big girl, she can talk to me like an adult.”

“She was drunk, and probably thinks you hate her.” Jade frowned. Vega tended to overreact like that.

“Which means I really need to talk to her before she can freak out.” Beck sighed, eyes cast upward for a breath, before he tried again.

“And _you_ need time too,” he said. Studded brow quirked, she challenged him to convince her of that. “Look, just go home, grab a shower…” Jade grimaced. She was in the same outfit as last night, and it clung to her uncomfortably after sleeping in it. “Then decide what to do.” They stared at each other for a long while after that, neither giving ground.

“Why do you care so much?” She asked at length. Beck’s intense gaze softened and he reached a tentative to her shoulder.

“I care about you. _Both_ of you, and this is kind of a big deal whatever you choose.” Jade was touched, despite herself. “Tori’s going to need us to be around, you know?” And the good feelings were gone.

“I’m sure _Tori_ will be glad for your attention,” she snapped out, annoyed. She shrugged him off and strode to her car. Slipping in the driver’s seat before Beck could stop her.

“That’s not what I meant,” he said before she could close the door. She allowed him a moment before she would slam the door and leave him. “It’s just a huge change, and Tori’s not as strong as you.” Jade was not so sure of that. “Point is, she’ll need us around so she doesn’t think what she feels changes that she’s our friend, you know.” Jade sighed, nodded, and the boy closed her door for her.

“Thanks,” she said as she started the vehicle. Beck only nodded, his usual half smile upon his lips.

“Let me know, later?” She nodded, and drove off – making sure to blow her horn long enough to wake everyone on the street. Beck was palming his face in her rearview mirror and she smirked. It was the small victories that made life fun, really.

The drive back to her house took less than ten minutes. It was something she always enjoyed before for its convenience in getting to Beck, but the short distance annoyed her as it gave her little time to prepare her defenses for her mother. She pulled in her driveway, knowing that every one of her buttons would be pushed.

She trudged up the driveway and slipped through the front door with as much as stealth as she could manage. The door whispered shut, and she breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Tiptoeing down the hall, grateful for the early hour, she eyed the open doorway to her stairs with longing. The door was long gone – one of her mother’s ideas for more ‘typical’ family – but that would not matter as long as she made it up the stairs without –

“Jade West.” Stern, high pitched, grating on the ears, and enough to sink Jade’s mood from bad to abysmal. She grit her teeth and turned toward the living room doorway, finding her mother standing there in nothing but a robe, her hair down and a glare firm in her eyes. Jade had the brief thought that this must be what her own glares looked like, but set it aside.

“Sarah West,” Jade said, mimicking her mother’s voice. Green-blue eyes narrowed, and her mother took a step forward.

“You don’t respect me at all, do you?” Jade quirked a brow. In the time since she came back, the woman never was this direct in their ‘conversations.’

“Take a guess.” Her frazzled nerves threatened to break, and Jade felt how close she was to the edge, and almost begged her mother to push her just that extra bit further.

The woman pinched the bridge of her nose. “When I came back, I set some very _generous_ rules.” Jade snorted, but the woman ignored it. “Including a curfew.”

“Lost track of time,” Jade’s dry tone seemed to irk the woman further.

“Bullshit,” Sarah snapped.

“Yup,” Jade agreed. A tense silence dragged between them.

“Where were you?”

“Out.”

“Why don’t you even _try_ acting like a decent daughter?” Her mother snapped, breathing heavy.

“Am I your daughter?” Jade adopted a shocked expression. “Could have fooled the fuck out of me.”

“I expect better of you, Jade,” her mother continued as if she did not hear Jade. “I’ve been patient. _Lenient_. I’m just asking for _any_ respect at all.”

“What’s the point?” Jade took a step back, towards the stairs and the relative safety of her room. Arguing with this woman never got her anywhere. “You’ll just be gone in a few days, and then life will go on like normal.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” Jade snorted and shook her head.

“Please. The moment some douchebag celeb needs his ass kissed, you’ll be on a plane.” Her mother’s lip curled in disgust.

“I’ve taken the summer off.” Jade’s stomach dropped, iron in a lake, and she stared at her mother with wide eyes. The woman smirked. “I should thank you, really. You really made me realize just how many things I’ve been neglecting here. You’ve fallen so far, dear.” Jade’s eye twitched. “You really need a good female role model.”

“Then how the fuck are you supposed to help?” The reply was instinctual while Jade felt a mild panic. She could not survive a summer under this woman’s false ideas of motherhood. What the hell was her father thinking?

Sarah clicked her tongue. “Please, if you thought I’d rise to such easy bait then you don’t know me at all.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder with a flick of her neck. “I hope you enjoyed your night with Beck,” Jade blinked, surprised. “Because it’ll be your last while I’m around. It isn’t right for girls your age to gallivant around…”

“You…how…?” The words would not come to her. How could this woman guess where she was and be so wrong at the same time.

“Oh I had a conversation with Beck’s father earlier this morning.” Jade’s eyes slipped closed and she sighed. Of course that happy go lucky idiot would not think twice about revealing his son’s company. Beck’s parents were the chilliest people she had ever met, but they lacked anything close to common sense. “He saw your car this morning.” The woman grimaced. “He sounded so _glad_ you two worked things out.”

Jade winced, almost feeling sorry for her ex when he explained it to his folks. “It’s not--”

“God I hope you used protection.” Jade blanched and her mother pressed a hand to her forehead. “Do you know how many girls ruin their lives at your age?” Jade clenched her jaw, counting to ten in her head. “Not to mention how many kids with great potential I’ve seen screw up their careers by not keeping it in their pants. And they all had much more talent than you.”

Jade drew in a sharp breath, and her arguments ran through her head at lightning speed. How the woman had never even _seen_ or _read_ any of Jade’s work in years. How Beck and she were _not_ together any more, and it would never be her business even if they were. How she did not give a single flying fuck over what the woman thought of her. How no matter how much the older woman wanted to pretend, she had no power over Jade, and could never become part of her life.

Instead, she pictured Vega and the _important_ issues she already had to deal with that day. Her incredulous anger drained and she just shook her head and strode forward. Startled, Sarah West stumbled backward, but Jade just brushed right by the woman without glancing back. She was out the front door, not even bothering to slam it, and striding to her car by the time her mother recovered.

“Don’t think you can just run away from everything Jade West!” The woman shouted as Jade climbed into her car. No, she was not running, but the woman would not understand that. “There _will_ be consequences! Don’t think I’ll stop with just the door!”

 _Doesn’t fucking matter much_. _This isn’t home with you here._ Hell, it was barely home without her there. The thought was bitter, and her instincts were screaming at her to lash back out at the woman. Instead she turned the ignition and backed out of the driveway. She drove away from her house without glancing in the mirror.

\---

“Oh. It’s _you_.” Trina’s nose scrunched up as she eyed Jade up and down. The older girl made no move to invite her in.

“Glad you can use your eyes,” she deadpanned. Trina just stood there, arms crossed and eyebrow quirked in expectation. “Can I…come in?” She asked after a it became obvious Vega’s sister was not budging.

“Any why should I let _you_ in?” Jade blinked and wondered if there was someone out there that did not want her to have anything go smoothly today.

“Why shouldn’t you?” Trina’s stance changed, leaning forward with one hand on her hip and the other pointing not more than inch in front of Jade’s eyes.

“I come home from Erik’s party last night –great time by the way. Did you know his parents have this awesome rec-room? It had a bunch of pool and pong tables and –”

“Trina.” Jade’s sharp tone got the Latina back on track.

“Anyway, I come home to find my inconsolable sister sitting on the couch, front door _wide_ open; she’s drunk, crying, and wouldn’t say a damned thing.”

Jade winced and tried not to feel guilty. She failed.

“I, uh…”

“The only thing I got out of her before I tossed her in bed was one word.” Jade’s stomach dropped. “ _Jade_ ,” Trina confirmed. “So why the _hell_ would I let you anywhere near her?”

“Trina…”

“I know you two don’t get along, I get it. _I_ don’t even get along with Tori! But,” Trina’s hand shot forward and poked Jade right below her neck. At any other moment Jade would have grabbed the offending digit and bent it backwards, but it was not the time. “That doesn’t mean you get to hurt her.” Trina was the most serious Jade had ever heard her.

She respected the girl in that moment.

Jade sighed. “Trina,” she tried to sound patient, genuine. “Last night got… There was a misunderstanding, and I came to clear the air, okay?”

The two girls stood staring at each other for excruciating, silent minutes. Trina’s eyes bored into her own, searching, and Jade tried not to let her growing impatience show, but the upperclassmen refused to budge.

“Trina?” Jade’s heart skipped a beat at the sound of the familiar voice. She sounded tired. Trina tossed a look over her shoulder, but Jade could not get a glance at Vega. “Who is it?”

“Nobody. They were just leaving.” Trina turned back to Jade, manicured brow quirked in challenge. Jade’s temper flared. What was _with_ everyone today?

“I was planning on staying, actually,” she growled out, forcing herself not to yell. She heard Vega’s sharp intake of breath, and Trina glared daggers at her.

“And nobody invited you in.” Jade took a step forward, and Trina took one back – her hands coming up into a fighting pose, her eyes wide and wild. Jade stared at the girl’s fists, steady as a gentle breeze, and just shook her head. Was she willing to _actually_ fight just to see Vega after all this?

She took another step.

“Let her in Trina.” Trina leaned back through the doorway and studied her sister – still out of Jade’s view. Jade glanced back at Jade, clicked her tongue, and strode into the house. Jade followed, eyeing the older girl as she plopped onto the couch, clicked on the television, and proceeded to ignore them entirely.

Shaking her head, Jade turned and found Vega standing halfway up the stairs, arms crossed and eyes roaming around the room – everywhere but at Jade.

She was not sure what she expected, but Vega looked… normal. Her hair was wet, presumably from a shower, and hugged her face. She was wearing sweatpants and overlarge shirt that hung off her right shoulder, and she was actually wearing her glasses for a change. Her eyes were not puffy, she stood tall, and the only thing Jade could glean was the tiredness she heard in the girl’s voice.

“We have to talk,” Jade said at length. Vega gave a stiff nod, still not looking at her, and stalked up the stairs. Jade followed the girl to her room at a hesitant pace. Vega’s walls were up in full force, that much was obvious, and Jade grimaced. This would be so much easier to deal with if she had any clue what she really wanted.

“So…” she started once Vega’s door was closed behind them. The half Latina still refused to look at her. Jade considered her words, knowing there were only two ways to go about this. One was to tiptoe around the issue and inch toward a resolution, which would probably be the safer route. Yet…

“So since when do you like girls?” Her patience was already too thin to be anything but blunt. Vega stiffened and sank onto her bed, head falling into her hands. _Shit_ , Jade thought. _Really subtle, West._ She sat on the bed, careful to keep a body’s width of distance between them, and waited.

She forced her fraying patience to hold during the stretch of silence until Vega finally spoke up.

“A few weeks ago I realized I was having these _feelings_ , and I…” She trailed off, and silence reigned supreme once more. Sighing, Jade shifted so that she was entirely on the bed – sitting cross legged at the foot. She drummed her fingers against her knees.

“Vega.” The girl did not move. “Tori,” she tried again, voice insistent. Vega’s eyes finally met hers, and Jade’s breath hitched. There was such _terror_ in those brown depths that Jade felt her frayed patience mend in a heartbeat. This was something she could not screw up, no matter what she felt. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Vega nodded, taking a few deep breaths, and moved to sit against the headboard of her bed, knees hugged to her chest.

“Everything was so simple before, wasn’t it?” Vega was staring into her knees, so Jade stayed silent. “We were _finally_ getting along, everyone was happy. I finally felt like I _belonged_ , you know?” She took a stuttering breath, eyes not leaving her knees. “I didn’t even realize anything wasn’t normal until Andre made me realize _things_.” Her eyes darted up and met Jade’s for a fleeting moment before darting away.

“I tried to deny it. To not think about it, but that just made it more obvious.” She shook her head, wet locks swaying with the motion. “It ‘s going to take awhile, to come to terms with everything.” She laughed without humor. “I know I really haven’t yet, but…” A heartbeat of quiet, then Tori raised her brown eyes to meet Jade’s again. Steady this time. Jade could still see how scared she was, but there was something else…

“I do know that I like you. Like, _like_ like, and I can’t deny that. Especially after last night.” She let out a shaky breath, and then grimaced. “I am _so_ sorry I did that to you. I broke your trust, and…” She turned away again, and Jade wanted nothing more than to reach out and force Vega to keep looking at her.

“Why?” Jade’s question came out as a whisper. Vega either did not hear her or ignored her. “I want you to tell me why you like me.” Jade’s heart was beating a mile a minute, and she was startled to realize that she felt as frightened as Vega looked.

“You’re…Jade.” Jade blinked. What type of answer was that? Vega continued before she could get annoyed. “You’re never afraid to say what’s on your mind. You’re brave, fearless on stage. You have so much _passion_ for what you do.” Vega smiled and Jade’s heart skipped a few beats. “And you care about us all, so much, even if you deny it. And you’re _terrifying,_ you know that?” Vega’s finally turned back to her, and grinned. Jade wondered when her breath started to speed up.

“I’ve never met someone who could scare me so much and still make me feel safe. You take what’s yours and you defend it, and I really admire that.” Vega tugged at the hem of her shirt, a blush forming on her tanned cheeks. “You’re gorgeous, and dangerous. Bold, and talented and…” She shook her head, trailing off. “I sound like such an idiot right now, don’t I?”

“No,” Jade breathed out, trying sort out the deluge of emotions flooding through her. Her heart was beating fast, she felt a flush in her cheeks, and she was at a loss for words. Nobody had ever… Beck was never a man of a lot words, and left most of his feelings implied rather than spoken.

Hearing something laid out like that was…gratifying.

“I…I understand that you don’t…” Vega bit her lip and Jade urged herself to say something. Anything at all. “I’m glad it’s out there, no matter what,” Vega said it with a nod, but her eyes had lowered again. _Say something_ , she told herself, but could not express what she was feeling. “I’ll just, er…”

Before Vega could move, Jade reached out a slow hand, keeping her eyes intent on Vega’s own. Hesitant, Vega extended her arm until they were a hairsbreadth away from each other. Jade closed the remaining distance and interlaced their fingers. Her hand was clammy.

They sat like that for a long while as Jade tried to gather the right words to say. Her eyes never left their interlocked hands, and she was fascinated how Vega’s thumb trailed small circles over hers.

“I’m not an easy person,” Jade said, shattering the silence. “I know that, but I can’t help who I am.” She felt cold, all of a sudden, and repressed the urge to hug herself. “I really have no idea how I feel about this. Us.” Vega’s hand started to pull away, but Jade held it firm. “Everything’s really confusing right now, and I don’t know I can feel the same way about you as you feel about me.” She heard Vega’s breath hitch, almost inaudible.

“ _But,_ ” She turned her eyes from their hands to Vega’s face and stayed silent until Vega looked at her. She wanted to see Vega’s eyes. “I want to see if this goes anywhere.” Everything was still a mess in her head, but the joy in those brown eyes and the bright grin on Vega’s face drowned out the insecurity, if only for a moment.

“I don’t really know what to say now,” Vega said with a goofy grin. Jade rolled her eyes and could almost feel the atmosphere lighten.

“You can start by thinking of where you’re going to bring me on our first date.”

“Well,” Vega tapped her chin with her free hand. “We kind of already had a few dates already, haven’t we?” Jade blinked.

“Huh,” was all she could manage. Vega started giggling, which turned into full blown laughter. Jade did not know if she suddenly developed a terrible sense of humor, or if she just did it because Vega was, or if the situation was just that absurd, but soon she was doubled over laughing as well.

Either way, though, the world was looking up again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Two Steps...forward! Hah, I know it's kind of silly to have played with the chapter titles like that, but I thought it was an interesting play on expectation, so there you have it. This also marks the end of the first major arc in the story, and I have to determine where I want to go from here. Possibilities include: time skip to post summer so I can play with more Hollywood Arts shenanigans or staying on the current trend for passing time and showing the bumps and bruises that this paring will no doubt face as they try to get rolling. Opinions?
> 
> Also something I wanted to ask my readers that may be experienced with this sort of situation. I did as much research as I could, but I've never had to deal with an identity crisis with regards to sexuality. I'm curious if I've portrayed the emotions in any way well enough to be considered realistic, so please let me know.
> 
> Not much more to say really. I might actually do a special interlude chapter I had considered for this one. It'll take PoV's from different characters than the girls. The more I think about it, that would probably be an interesting way to move the story through the summer. Hm, something to think about at least.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on FFN. Crossposted to AO3 2/10/2016

"And it might be crazy…" Tori sang under her breath while smoothing out her top – making sure it ended _just_ above the hem of her shorts. Satisfied, she turned her attention to the state of her living room, double checking her imagined list as she did so: the TV on and set to pick something off Netflix; a comically oversized bowl of popcorn on the table; the air conditioner turned up high enough to make just a bit chilly; and her brightest, fluffiest blanket draped over the couch.

Tori smiled, proud of her own cleverness.

The doorbell pierced the silence and Tori's smile doubled in size, butterflies blooming in her belly. Still, she forced herself to _walk_ over to the door rather than sprint across the room and waited a pair of excruciatingly long seconds before opening the door.

Her smile faltered and heart skipped a beat at the girl she found behind the door. Jade's shoulders were held tense, her posture stiff and arms crossed. A fleeting moment of a panic tore through Tori's mind – a thousand scenarios of Jade deciding that she didn't want to be together playing in a half a second – before she met the intensity of Jade's green gaze and lost the ability to form a coherent thought.

"Parents?" Jade's voice was hoarse.

"Gone." Tori managed to breathe out the word. Jade didn't smile, and Tori realized that the girl's face was flushed a light red.

"Trina?" Jade took a half step forward and Tori stood aside to let her in, closing the door behind them.

"On a date." Jade let out a humorless laugh at that.

"Good." Jade pushed back her hair, giving Tori just enough time to realize she had changed her colored streaks to purple before she was pounced on.

"Mph," Tori grunted a halfhearted protest as she was pushed back against the door with more force than was strictly necessary, but soon lost her ability to care as the world became nothing more than Jade's lips, hands, and _tongue._

 _Oh_ , Tori thought, letting out a quiet moan, _that's new._ She could feel Jade's grin against her lips and made sure to meet her girlfriend's unspoken challenge eagerly, letting her arms snake behind the small of Jade's back and pull her close

In the two weeks since Jade agreed to give them a try, it had always fallen to Tori to initiate anything physical; and even then it was always chaste, hesitant, nothing more than testing the waters. Nothing like _this_.

She gasped as Jade moved to trail kisses down her jawline, lips light as a feather on her skin, before her partner settled a choice spot on Tori's neck, causing her to groan in approval.

Tori sent a silent thank you to whatever had inspired this sudden aggression. She pushed Jade away from her neck and reclaimed the girl's lips with her own, taking the lead and pushing them off the door toward the sofa.

By some miracle she managed to get them there without ending up as a mess of tangled limbs on the floor. With a grin, Tori returned the favor from earlier and gave Jade a light shove. She savored the shock in the girl's green-blue eyes as she fell back over the arm of the couch.

Tori hopped over the arm as well, landing with her legs on either side of Jade's knees, and took a quick moment to memorize just how _hot_ it was to see Jade on her back, skin flushed and hair sprawled out like a dark halo framing her face.

She leaned down, smile never faltering, and started trailing her lips over Jade's exposed throat. The girl hummed in approval, leaning her head to the left to give Tori better access. Tori took full advantage, grazing her teeth lightly over a pulse point and sucking in a gentle breath.

The sound Jade made in response to that was _delightful_.

When Tori raised her lips from Jade's neck, she left a darkening purple mark in her wake. A pleasant tingle ran down her spine as she looked at it, oddly proud to have left a mark on Jade. She glanced up to find her girlfriend's eyes glazed over, chest heaving with quick breaths. Tori smirked, flicking her eyebrows in challenge.

"Shouldn't have stopped." Jade breathed the words at a whisper, and Tori's world was upended. She let out an undignified yelp as she was flipped onto her back. Tori lamented the fact that Jade was stronger than her as the girl ended up kneeling over her, somehow pinning both of Tori's hands against her stomach using just one of her own. "Got you," Jade teased with a small smirk.

Feeling a rush of boldness, Tori wrapped her legs around Jade and squeezed, almost throwing Jade off balance. "Got you too," Tori said with a giggle.

Jade laughed and leaned down until Tori could feel the girl's breath against her ear – sending a fresh wave of pleasurable chills down Tori's spine. "I'm right where I want to be." The rush of warmth those words brought made all of Tori's insecurities fly away.

She turned her head to capture Jade's lips in her own, pushing as much feeling into the action that she could, and Jade returned the favor with equal vigor. Tori lost track of time, letting herself get lost completely in everything that was Jade.

Until the feeling of a hand slipping beneath her bra sent both a wave of excitement south and one of shock north. And as much as she wanted to get lost in that feeling, the sudden clarity of just how far they were going after only taking baby steps before took over her thoughts.

 _Too fast_ , she bemoaned in her head. "Jade," she mumbled around their kiss as her hands were still held in place. Jade pulled away, took one look at Tori's face, and the hand on Tori's breast retreated, lightning-quick. Tori had to stifle a protest at the loss of contact.

"Sorry," Jade said, breathing labored and a flash of guilt in her eyes. She retreated away to the other end of the couch, leaving Tori feeling far too cold. "Too much?" Jade seemed to shrink into herself.

"Hey." Tori reached over herself to grab onto Jade's hand with a gentle squeeze, thrown by Jade's new show of vulnerability. Their eyes met and Tori lost herself in the mixture of emotions swirling around Jade's green depths for a moment before finding her words. "I'm definitely not complaining," she said, gesturing to herself, knowing her skin was flushed and her own chest rose and fell with quick breaths. "It's just a bit…sudden? I don't know." She trailed off, not quite having the words to express her worry.

Jade seemed to relax at her words, but turned her attention to the window – her eyes almost glowing gold with the glare of the sun – and held her jaw taut. Tori frowned, wishing for the ability to read the other girl's mind. She raised their intertwined hands to her lips and trailed a quick set of light kisses on each of Jade's knuckles. Jade faced her again, eyebrow quirked, but a small smile tugged at her swollen lips.

"What's up?" Jade sighed and looked away again. Tori frowned at the way the girl's shoulders tensed. She poked Jade in the side with her free hand, causing the other girl to jump and send her a halfhearted glare. Tori just flicked her eyebrows in challenge. The exchange was almost routine for them now.

Jade rolled her eyes, but gave in. "Sarah's being a bitch again."

"No sign of her heading out of town?"

"Nope." Jade drew the word out, getting a faraway look in her eye as she lost herself to thought. Tori stroked her thumb over her girlfriend's knuckles, offering what support she could. Everything she heard about the woman – as little as that was - cast Sarah West in a bad light. Even _Cat_ disliked the woman.

"Maybe I should go see her. Warn her to back off of my girl."

Jade let out a quick laugh. "That I'd pay to see. Tori Vega trying to threaten someone."

"What?" Tori pumped her free fist in a vaguely aggressive manner. "I can totally be threatening when I need to be." Jade just laughed harder. Tori pouted.

"You're too adorable to be scary," Jade teased once her laughter subsided, giving Tori a quick peck. The warmth that spread at the small contact made Tori smile like an idiot.

"Maybe I should thank her instead."

"Explain." Jade's tone swerved off teasing and straight onto dangerous.

"Whatever she did this morning inspired you to get over whatever was holding you back," she hurried to explain. "I mean, we were moving _really_ slow." Jade's eyes hardened to steel for a moment before Tori rushed on. "Which was _fine_." She squeezed Jade's hand to emphasize her words. "But having you pounce on me like that…" Her cheeks warmed and a rush of heat raced straight down to her center.

She lowered her voice an octave. "Makes me feel like you really want me."

Jade clicked her tongue in exasperation, leaning forward and kissing her again – soft and fleeting. "Sue me if I took some time to wrap my head around my sudden bisexuality." Tori made to protest, but Jade silenced her with another kiss. "That I wanted to kiss you." Her voice fell to a whisper, their lips less than a centimeter apart. A hand snaked into Tori's hair. "To touch you." A gentle tug pulled Tori's head to the side. "To taste you, _everywhere_."

 _Oh. Wow_. Teeth nipped at her skin just beneath her ear. Tori let out a ragged breath. Bringing a clear thought to her mind proved impossible as Jade gave Tori a mark on her neck to match her own.

Jade leaned back with a cocksure smirk on her lips several long, tortuous moments later. Tori groaned at the loss of contact. "And I don't think you're complaining."

"Not even a little." Jade chuckled and leaned in again, but Tori held up a hand to stop her. "But I need a breather." She shifted her legs, fully aware of how everything seemed to be clinging to her.

"Oh?" Jade asked with a raised eyebrow, her smile turning playful. "Are you sure you want me to stop?" Her eyes flicked to Tori's crossing legs. The Latina gulped audibly.

 _No,_ she thought.

"Yes," she said, fighting against her hormones. She wondered for a moment how she would have let things go if the pair of them had made _any_ progress before this, but she pushed the thought aside. She couldn't shake the feeling that something _else_ inspired Jade's sudden boldness, and Tori could not let Jade move too fast if there was _any_ doubt in the girl's mind.

Hell, Tori didn't know if _she_ was ready, despite the things Jade's simple touches were doing to her.

"Yes," she repeated, voice more composed. Jade's face fell some, but just as Tori had done for the past weeks, she did not try to push too far. Tori stood to grab a drink from the fridge, more to put some distance between her and Jade than for any thirst. The cold did wonders to clear her foggy head. "Want one?" She asked, grabbing a soda from the fridge and holding it above her head in display.

"Got anything stronger?" Jade asked, tone dry.

"Want to get me drunk?" Tori teased, grabbing a second can anyway.

"How else am I going to be able to have my way with my sweet, innocent girlfriend?" Tori snorted, turning to find Jade laying on the couch, fluffy blanket draped over her. She lifted the pink fluff, showing that there was just enough room for Tori to lay in front of her.

 _Success,_ she thought, dropping the drinks on the coffee table and taking up her girlfriend's unspoken offer. Gently, she sat and contorted herself until she laid on her side, head resting on Jade's outstretched arm while the other circled Tori's stomach.

She sighed in contentment. "Is this why it's so fucking cold in here?" Jade's whisper tickled her ear. Tori could hear the note of amusement in the girl's voice. She hummed her acknowledgment and Jade laughed quietly, her chest rising and falling in a wonderful way against Tori's back. Lips brushed her cheek. "Clever girl," Jade said. "Now, I hope you're in the mood for horror." Jade held up the remote, and Tori realized that – wrapped as they were in the blanket – she would have to fight to get her arms free.

"Evil" She accused with a pout. Jade laughed again and Tori grinned, snuggling deeper into her girlfriend's grasp. She let at a quiet sigh, committing everything about this moment to memory. Even if Jade picked the scariest film she knew, Tori would not mind. For the here and now, she was perfectly content.

\---

 

"This is ridiculous," Jade complained an hour later. Tori shushed her, engrossed in the movie. "That guy just threw himself into the wood chipper!" Jade continued despite Tori's protests. She tossed a piece of popcorn over her shoulders in the general direction of Jade's face. Jade pinched her in response.

Tori yelped, contorting herself to glare at her girlfriend. Jade met her glare with a kiss, melting away Tori's annoyance. "Not fair," she complained when their lips parted, but went back in for more.

Until the upbeat pop tune of her ringtone cracked the relative quiet of the room. Tori reacted without a moment's hesitation, pushing back from Jade with enough force to send herself tumbling off the couch in a tangle of the blanket and flailing limb. She hit the ground hard, her tailbone crying in protest. Jade just looked on, bemused, as Tori fought her way out of the blanket's deathgrip. She fought the blush rising in her cheeks and refused to meet Jade's eyes as she gained her feet.

"Smooth," Jade noted wryly as Tori crossed the room. She blushed harder and didn't dignify that with a response.

She snatched up her pearphone. "Hello?"

"Hey!" Andre's voice echoed across the line, almost drowned out by what sounded like someone in the middle of taking a sledgehammer to a boulder. "Where are you right now?"

"Home…?" She drew out the word. Had she not told Andre about her plans?

"Right! You're _private time_." She could hear the smile in his voice. "I completely forgot." Tori rolled her eyes. "But hey, listen!"

"Listening."

"You should come out!" Tori's breath hitched at the words. "There's this bonfire thing at the beach. The band sucks, but pretty much everyone's here." Tori shook her head at her misinterpretation.

"I'm kind of enjoying my _private_ _time_ ," she said, feeling ridiculous for using his words. Behind her, Jade laughed.

So did Andre. "I don't want to tear you away from that, trust me. But there's been like a dozen parties you've missed, and we haven't seen you guys in forever. People are starting to question whether you or Jade really exist." Andre said it as a joke, but a chilling echo of panic crossed Tori's mind.

If people noticed them not being around at the same time…

"You know what?" She said with a second's further thought. "We'll get out there." She glanced at Jade, who just sat there, serene as could be, her eyebrow raised in question.

"Awesome! And you don't have to worry about –" A loud crash cut the musician off and Tori jerked the phone away from her ear.

"What the hell was that?" Jade asked. Tori just shrugged, only braving to bring the phone back after the sounds died down.

"—cking Sinjin man, I swear to God. Tori, you still there?"

"Half deaf, but here."

"Yeah, sorry. Somebody came up with the brilliant idea to play football in the middle of the party."

"And Sinjin's playing?"

" _Trying_ to." He sighed. "Dude's been all over the place today. Anyway!" His tone brightened again. "Grab your girl and get your ass down here, chica!" Before she could protest his phrasing, the line clicked dead.

"So what'd you just volunteer us for?" Jade's voice came from right behind her, and Tori snapped her eyes shut, managing to keep her reaction to just a sharp intake of breath.

"Do you enjoy doing that?" The self-satisfied grin she found on her girlfriend's face when she turned around was answer enough. "Beach party." She frowned at her phone, considering if she had made the right call.

"Sounds fun," Jade said.

"Yeah…"

"Alright," Jade said with something approaching a huff. "Why do you have your sad puppy face on?"

The question was enough to jar Tori from her negative thoughts. "My what?"

"That face you make when you think too much and are sort of confused." Tori blinked, somewhat offended, but Jade pressed on. "Your eyebrows pull together, you lips pout, and you get this faraway look in your eye."

"And how does that make me look like a puppy?"

Jade shrugged rather than answer. "Point is, what's bothering you?"

"Nobody's seen us in weeks."

"Okay…?"

"People are noticing that we sort of disappeared _at the same time_." Tori emphasized the words, urging Jade to understand.

"And you think that – after two weeks of us not being around - the geniuses of Hollywood Arts made the leap of logic and think that Tori Vega and Jade West are locked away somewhere being gay together." Jade laughed – much closer to the mocking laugh from when they'd first met than the genuine one Tori had come to enjoy.

A spark of anger laced her words. "I'm glad you think me being worried is _hilarious_." Jade's laugh ended abruptly, and Tori marked the annoyance that passed through the girl's eyes.

"I was _trying_ to point out how ridiculous it is. Nobody's going to put two and two together Vega. There's nothing to go on."

"I'm being ridiculous now?"

Jade didn't bat an eye. "That wasn't what I meant and you know it."

Tori bit back a retort and counted to five in her head, reminding herself that it wasn't Jade she was mad at. "I'm not saying they're going to know _tonight._ I'm saying that we have to be more careful, because _eventually_ they will!"

Jade stared at her, deadpan. "We can't stay a secret forever, Vega." The anger left Tori in a rush, leaving behind the empty certainty that always came before an unpleasant experience that couldn't be avoided.

"I know, it's just…" She searched for the right words. "I don't want to be blindsided."

"I want to come out on our own terms, too," Jade said in a sympathetic, caring tone that was still rare for Tori to hear. The girl reached out and ran a hand through Tori's hair, coming to a rest by cupping her cheek. Tori leaned into the hand, somehow finding this moment more intimate than anything else they'd done that day.

Tori reached up and took her girlfriend's hand in her own, kissing the back of her palm before lowering their intertwined fingers between them. They locked eyes, and Tori forgot all of her apprehension for a single, wonderful moment.

"We'll be more careful, then," Jade said at length. Tori flashed her a brilliant smile.

"It's going to be hard, acting like we used to."

"Just stop picturing me naked with every other thought and you'll be fine." A flush rose in Tori's cheeks as that _fantastic_ image popped into her head. "Yeah, avoid that look exactly." Jade leaned in and gave Tori a quick peck, tearing her back to reality.

"Jerk," she accused without any malice. Jade gave a coy smile and shrugged, turning her gaze toward the stairs.

"I'm going to have to borrow a suit."

"All of mine will be too… small." Tori said, holding a hand at chest level. Jade raised a brow with a flirty smile.

"Figured you'd enjoy a show." Tori shivered at Jade's words. She really, _really_ would.

"We can find on of Trina's?"

Jade clicked her tongue. "I'll never wear anything that Trina would."

"It's a bathing suit," Tori said in a droll. "I'm sure she has plain ones."

"It's the principle of the thing." Jade glanced toward the front door, contemplative. "Which means we need to stop by my house. Wonderful." She looked like she had been slipped something sour.

Tori resisted the urge to point out her girlfriend's faulty logic, but only just. "Let me get changed, then."

Fifteen minutes later and Tori had thrown on a bikini– black with an abstract red design sprawling across both pieces - under a loose shirt and shorts, and piled into Jade's car. The afternoon sun was blinding, and Tori was thankful for her overlarge sunglasses.

"Think your mother will be around?" Tori asked after several minutes of watching Jade's expression darken the more distance they covered. The girl's nostrils flared in a harsh breath.

"Won't matter. I'm using you as a meat shield."

"I… what now?" Tori looked to her girlfriend in askance, but Jade just wore a smile that did not reach her eyes.

Jade stayed silent until they pulled into her driveway behind a pair of cars – one black and unassuming, the other a bright yellow sedan – that had not been there the last time Jade brought Tori there.

'"Alright," Jade said as she cut the engine. 'Once we're inside, make sure you keep Sarah distracted and I'll get my bikini."

"How am I going to do that?"

"You just have to be there, that'll be enough." Jade got out of the car, and strode toward oddly-shaped house with her shoulders squared and head held high. Tori allowed herself a moment to be utterly confused before scrambling after her girlfriend.

She caught up just as Jade pushed open the door, which was caught halfway by an older, brunette version of Jade.

Tori's first thought was that Jade was still going to be ridiculously attractive in twenty-plus years.

Her second was a shiver of fear. She _never_ wanted to be on the receiving end of one of this woman's glares.

Jade seemed unaffected by the seething woman. "Sarah, have you met Tori?" She said before her mother could speak, cutting off the woman as her hand whipped out and grasped Jade's shoulder in an iron grip. The woman glanced at Tori, and a switch flipped. Sarah's launched away from Jade as if she was shocked, her entire posture relaxed, her eyes softened, and a bright smile replaced a grinding grimace.

"I haven't," She said, cheerful as could be. "Sarah West." She held out a hand and, flummoxed, Tori took it.

"Tori Vega." The handshake was quick and firmer than it needed to be.

"Wonderful to meet you Tori. Any friend of Jade's is always welcome in my home." Jade snorted, but her mother did not so much as blink to acknowledge it. "Come on in." Sarah turned on her heel and strode down the entryway, past Jade's stairwell – apparently now without a door – and into the kitchen beyond.

Every step the woman took seemed tensed.

Tori shot Jade quick glance, eyes wide. Jade shook her head, mouthing "told you," before following her mother in and dragging Tori behind her. Jade nudged her toward the kitchen and bolted up her stairs two at a time.

Sarah leaned back against the kitchen's island countertop, her scrutinizing gaze locked on Jade's stairs, her face neutral. Tori wanted nothing more than to either follow Jade upstairs or just wait in silence, but when the woman's eyes flickered over to her, Tori knew she would not be so lucky.

"So, I take it there's some sort of pool or beach party you two are going to?"

Tori felt a chill. "…how'd you know?" A smirk pulled at Sarah's lips and the woman nodded toward Tori's shirt. She glanced down, noticing then that the black of her bikini top could be seen through her light top. "Ah." Tori crossed her arms over her chest against a wave of self-consciousness. "Yeah, we are."

Sarah either did not notice her discomfort or did not care. "Oh to be young again." Sarah sighed, and Tori assumed it was supposed to sound wistful, but it came across as irritated. "It's good that Jade's making more of an effort to get out more. Meet new people." She nodded toward Tori. "How long have you two known each other?"

"Since I transferred into Hollywood Arts back at the start of the school year."

"Transferred? I didn't think they took anyone who didn't start as a freshman."

Tori grinned at the memory of her first show. "I got lucky."

Sarah laughed. "Humble, I like that." She cocked her head to the side and studied Tori up and down for a moment. "So which is your focus? You have the look of an actress about you."

"I'm a singer, actually, but I… you know… dabble." She trailed off as Sarah's attention shifted something over Tori's shoulder.

"Perfect timing, dear!" She pushed herself off the counter, and passed Tori without another glance in her direction. "Could you keep Tori here company while I talk to our daughter?" Tori turned, finding Jade's father standing behind her, his eyes wide in surprise. Sarah didn't wait for an answer and raced up the stairs. An ominous feeling settled in the bottom of Tori's stomach.

"Uh…" Tori turned toward Jade's father and a sliver of surprise crossed her mind. The man was dressed down for once – in nothing but sweatpants and a loose tee – and had a well-worn paperback in his hand. "Hi?" He tried, and Tori laughed despite herself. He seemed completely out of his depth.

"Hi," she returned the greeting, but already started walking past him. "I think I'll go rescue Jade before that turns ugly." The man ran a hand through his tousled, greying hair.

"Probably a good idea," he said with a short nod. He turned toward the stairs and frowned, a faraway look in his eyes. Tori chose not to dwell on that and bounded up the stairs, eager to get away from the brewing storm that was the West household.

The muffled shouts behind Jade's made her grimace. "—friend being here will stop me? I'll send her home with your father." Tori tried the knob, but the door wouldn't budge.

"And you think Tori will just go for that? She's smart enough not to by any excuse you feed her." A new worry sprouted in Tori's mind. Was there something actually _serious_ going on with Jade's mother?

"A mother punishing her disobedient daughter? Such an unbelievable story." Sarcasm poured from each of the woman's words. Tori shook her head and knocked, but neither of the women inside seemed to notice. "And if she's known you for a year like she claims, she knows just how much of a little bitch you can be."

Jade laughed the insult off. "More than most." A smile pulled at Tori's lips despite the situation. "But she also knows _exactly_ who you are." A silence followed Jade's words that reaffirmed Tori's unease.

"What type of lies have you been—" Tori pounded her fist on the door, leaning into her blows and cutting Sarah off.

"Jade! Are you ready?" Something thumped behind the door, and the handle turned. Jade tore open the door, throwing Tori off balance. Strong, steady hands caught her before she could topple over. Jade had nothing on but plain white high-necked bikini top and wonderfully short shorts. Tori forced herself to focus. "You okay?" She whispered. Jade said nothing, but helped Tori regain her balance, squeezing her shoulder before letting her go.

Behind Jade, Sarah watched the two of them through narrowed eyes. "Sorry to keep you waiting Tori, but I still need to speak to Jade. Privately." The edge in the woman's voice struck Tori's instincts as dangerous.

"We're kind of running out of time." _Drive-by acting exercise…_ "We have a friend waiting for us to pick her up."

"I'm sure she can wait a few minutes more." The way Sarah's attention focused on Tori unnerved her.

"Actually, she can't." Tori kept her expression earnest. "She's taking a bus into town, but she's never been here before and I don't want anything to happen to her. Country girl, you know?"

"And you would never want to be responsible for anything that could happen to her, would you?" Jade kept her back to her mother, hiding the grin she now wore.

Sarah's eyes never left Tori's as she spoke. "I suppose not," She pasted a smile on. It did not reach the woman's eyes. "But I trust you'll be home by curfew tonight?"

Tori found herself nodding despite the question being directed toward Jade.

"Wouldn't dream of missing it again," Jade said. It sounded almost genuine to Tori's ears. It appeared to be good enough for Sarah, as the woman nodded and pushed past them.

"Have a good time, then." She descended the steps, and Tori felt better with each second that put distance between them. "And Tori?" Sarah turned at the bottom of the steps. "If you ever feel like taking your singing career to the next level, feel free to come to me. I know a few people."

Tori gaped after the woman, but could not respond before the woman crossed the hall to jade's father's office and locked the door behind her.

"I didn't think she'd try to pull that with someone here…" Jade said after a few seconds of uneasy silence.

Tori shook herself from her stupor. "Are you sure you're okay?" Jade took a deep breath, schooling her features until she looked as composed as always.

"I just want her gone," she admitted, but shook her head. "Let's just get the hell out of here."

Tori didn't have to be told twice.

\---

"So what's our play?" Tori jumped, jarred out of her thoughts. The ride to the beach had been spent in complete silence. Tori kept mulling over just how bad Jade's past with her mother _really_ was, and Jade seemed content to not speak and ignore her girlfriend staring at her every few minutes.

So absorbed in her worries, Tori missed the fact that they had parked in front of the beach.

"Our play?" She tried to spot their friends among the group collected nearest a bonfire in the distance, but it was too far away to make out faces.

"Do you want to go in one at a time to 'avoid suspicion,' or can we go together?" Tori turned her attention back to her girlfriend, frowning at Jade's tone, and found her with a neutral mask set in place.

Tori frowned at Jade's tone, but chose to ignore it. "Together," she said. She was rewarded with a pleased smile – the first genuine one Jade made since they had left Tori's house. The sight of it made Tori make up her mind, and as her girlfriend clicked open the door, she reached out a hand to latch on the girl's arm. Jade looked to her with a brow raised in question, and Tori took a steadying breath.

"Can we talk about… whatever that was?" Jade's smile disappeared.

"Now?" Tori nodded. "Someone could wander by and see us. Didn't you want to avoid that?"

"They're far enough away," Tori said with a shrug. "Besides, I think this is more important."

"Why wait, then?" A tick of frustration appeared in Jade's voice, her face pinching in annoyance. "We had the entire drive to talk."

"I wasn't sure I wanted to know tonight."

"What changed?"

"You smiled." Jade's eyes turned skyward and she mouthed quiet words Tori could not make out.

"Help that make sense."

"You haven't since we left my house and…" Tori struggled to find the words to fit her thoughts. "And you mentioned her earlier and got this _look_ in your eye." Jade frowned. "When we were at your place I overheard—"

"Tori," Jade covered the hand Tori had on the girl's shoulder with her own. "Things with my mother aren't much worse than they are normally." The words were meant to be comforting, some part of Tori knew, but she felt as if she was being brushed off.

"But I don't _know_ what normal is for this," she said, imploring her girlfriend to understand. "And we didn't _have_ to go to your place today, but you wanted to go anyway. I'm just really confused, here."

"Do we really have to do this here?" A tiredness played at the edge of Jade's voice, and Tori pounced.

"I don't want us to keep things from each other. My parents do, and, well..." Jade huffed out a frustrated breath and pinched the bridge of her nose, her eyes shut tight. Tori grimaced, knowing in that moment that she pushed right past Jade's boundaries.

But when Jade spoke, she surprised Tori with the soft timbre of voice. "We don't have nearly enough time to get the full story." Jade leaned back in her seat, determinedly not facing Tori. "My mother's a fucked up person."

Tori wished she could see her girlfriend's face to judge her state of mind. "Jade—"

"But," Jade continued before Tori could let her off the hook. "This morning was bad. She was going on and on about how I 'clearly had no sense of priorities,' and that I 'needed to stop fucking around with that boy Beck, find focus, and figure out what I wanted out of life,' or I would 'end up begging, whoring, or worse.'" With each of Jade's words, Tori's anger rose. She grit her teeth to keep the brewing flame of indignant rage from bursting forth.

"And I was pissed. I mean livid." Jade let out a hollow laugh. "I'd heard it all before, but this time it really hit me. I was ready to lay into her, but then something just…" She snapped her fingers. "Clicked." Jade rolled her head so that she was facing Tori again.

She was grinning, throwing Tori for a loop.

"And what was that?" Tori's anger at Sarah drifted away in the sight of Jade's smile.

"That I already knew exactly what I wanted..." Jade's hand sought hers and grasped it, firm and comforting and full of hope. "You."

Tori tried to find _something_ to say at that moment, but she could not find the words to describe the hyperactive lightness in her heart.

"And I just sort of left," Jade continued. "Nothing else mattered than showing you just how much I wanted to be with you."

Not caring where they were, Tori leaned over and kissed her girlfriend, soft and lingering. Jade's smile widened against her lips.

"Well then I'm glad something absolutely fantastic came out of that," Tori said. Jade laughed, so Tori figured that had been the right response.

"Fantastic, huh? That confident in your abilities, Vega?" Jade teased.

"Just judging by customer satisfaction," Tori breathed out the words, leaning in to remind her girlfriend of how much she enjoyed Tori's skills when the raging metal cry of Jade's phone cracked the air – a stark reminder of where they were.

Jolted back to reality, Tori fell back into the passenger seat and scanned the area around the car, relieved to find nobody was anywhere nearby.

"It's Cat," Jade told her as she put the PearPhone to her ear. "Hey," she drawled out the greeting, sounding bored as could be. Tori could hear Cat shouting out a greeting to Jade, who grimaced against the bass-heavy music that almost drowned out the energetic girl.

"We're already here!" Jade shouted into the phone, holding it at arm's length and staring at it with extreme indignation. An incoherent cheer came from the other end. Jade rolled her eyes and slammed the end call button with her thumb.

"Guess we should head over."

"Guess so," Jade grumbled, dropping her phone back into her bag, her nose scrunched up.

Tori smiled. "You're cute when you're annoyed." Jade's expression fell back into a grin of her own, but the girl shook her head.

"Put your straight goggles on, Tori. We've got a show to put on." Tori heaved a long sigh and nodded, stepping out of the car and back into the real world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End Note: As I implied at the start, I am super sorry for the delay in this chapter. I had at one point considered just marking this story as complete at the end of last chapter, but -while that would be a decent end - I feel like there's so much more I can do with these characters.
> 
> The opening arc of Tori and Jade getting together is complete. This chapter is sort of a complete resolution of that as well as setting up the two major points for this next arc. Namely, Jade's home life and the couple's willingness to come out to more than just Andre and Beck.
> 
> And it's kind of funny, this entire chapter was supposed to take place at the beach party, with a quick intro to get you guys up to speed on where Jade and Tori are in their relationship, but the rest of the chapter just sort of...bloomed, and the beach didn't really have a part any more. Well, what can you do? Hah.
> 
> Anyway, next chapter picks up with Jade's PoV - might cover some of the leftovers from the beach-scene-that-never-was or might skip a few more weeks - and hopefully it will be out before 2016! (for serious, already working on it)
> 
> As always, don't hold back and let me know what you think in a review. I aim to improve myself, and your words are priceless in doing so! How was Tori's thought process? Did the seemingly arbitrary limits on their physical relationship make sense? Hit me with your thoughts :)


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